


Breathe Into Me

by Janie94



Series: Still Healing [1]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alpha Thomas, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, But It's Not Actual Cheating, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Infertility, Jealousy, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Omega Robert, Polyamory, mentions of mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-13 04:37:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7962757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/pseuds/Janie94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the first training of the new season Robert's suppressants fail and he goes into heat.<br/>Thomas intends to take care of him, but when someone from Robert's past returns, Thomas realizes that he's falling in love with the Omega...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I already said it the last time: Whoever is responsible for my recent inspiration oubursts, please stop! I'm already working on two stories and I have a third in mind, I do not need any additional ideas, thank you very much. ;)
> 
> Jokes aside, here's a new little story that will probably be three or four chapters long. I was feeling like reading an Alpha/Beta/Omega story the other day and I was shocked how few there are in the Football Fandom...  
> So I wrote my own and I hope you will like it. :)

  
Breathe Into Me

 

  
Robert is one of the first of the Bayern team to stand on the pitch for the first real training of the new season. At least the first one that includes the EURO players who have been absent up to now. Under normal circumstances Robert would be itching to get back into training, to live his passion and of course to see his team mates again. However today is different.

His body would be going into heat were it not for the suppressant he is taking regularly. They've done their job in all the years he has been taking them, the problem is that taking suppressants over such a long time span disrupts the usual cycle of his body and it's been a very long time since he stopped taking his pills and allowed an Alpha to take him. Much too long apparently. It resulted in the intervals between his heats increasing drastically. He used to have them every one or two months, this one however is the first in six months. The downside of it is that the pills aren't working as good as before because his body is becoming desperate.

Either he lets an Alpha take him or he gets sick. Since Robert doesn't have a mate and he's not the type to sleep around, he has long ago chosen the latter. Ever since he left his home and joined Borussia Dortmund. Thanks to the suppressant sneutralizing his scent, most of his former teammates are still under the impression that he is a Beta and he has been careful to let his new team think the same when he transfered to Bayern Munich. Male Omegas are unusual enough as it is and Robert doesn't want them to treat him any different than the rest.

That's why he is standing on the grass right now, waiting for his team to emerge from the locker room even though he can feel the start of a fever coming up.

The only ones who are already out here with him are the two new youngsters Niklas and Fabian as well as the constantly injured Holger; three Betas who don't spell trouble for an Omega.

When Manuel and Philipp come over to him from the other side of the field, Robert exhales in relief. If he spends most of the training with them, he will be fine despite his suppressants not exactly doing the best job. Sure, Manuel is an Alpha, one of the most powerful and visually pleasing Robert has ever seen, but he is mated to the small Omega next to him, so Robert has no reason to be afraid.

Philipp greets him with a smile but frowns when he notes Robert's slightly exhausted expression. „What's wrong with you? Have you caught something during your vacation?“

Of course Philipp is oblivious to Robert's problems. He has been mated to Manuel for years now and Robert has yet to meet someone who has been taking pills for such a long time as himself.

Robert is tempted to tell his captain that he is just feeling a bit sick and there's nothing to worry about, but of course his mate Manuel is faster. The tall Alpha inhales subtly and then a flicker of concern crosses his face. „Your scent is a bit sweeter than usual. Have you been out with an Omega in heat this morning?“

Robert tries to appear bored. „There was this girl in the coffee shop. She was hit by her heat and passed me when she stormed out of the shop, that's why her scent must be clinging to me.“

Both men accept his lie without another question and Robert relaxes again.

But then the two other strikers Julian and Thomas come trudging over to them, talking animatedly and Robert freezes. Julian is a Beta as well, Thomas however is an Alpha and worst of all unmated. And Robert's treacherous body notices that too. He feels sweat pooling in the dips of his collarbones which results in his scent being amplified. Dammit, his pills have never failed like this!

He can feel Manuel turning to him with a frown, his Alpha nose obviously picking up on the change in the air. Thomas is too busy talking to Julian to notice it and just before the two reach them, Robert turns away to run into the opposite direction. Not very subtle, but since they have no clue that he is an Omega, they will probably come to the conclusion that he had a fallout with either Julian or Thomas. Better than the truth.

Robert has been running a few rounds around the field when he notices that he is too exhausted. He's breathing hard and feeling too warm, all early symptoms of a heat. Dammit, why aren't his pills working?

Belatedly he realizes that the men closest to him are watching him confused. Javi, Rafinha and Joshua are staring at him only mildly irritated by the strange scent he is giving off. They are Betas and at times like this Robert wishes there were more of them in the Bayern team. Most of the Dortmund players were Betas, that helped in hiding his true nature for so long. But Bayern has quite a few Alphas and in his current state that means trouble. Luckily there is only one Alpha in close proximity and it's Xabi, the most docile and calm Alpha of the team. Robert meets his gaze and sees the Spanish frown in confusion as his body begins to respond to Robert's smell. The striker needs to get away immediately if he doesn't want Xabi to connect the dots...

Robert retreats to the sideline to bring some distance between himself and his team mates, but his escape doesn't go as smooth as planned when he sees Thomas changing his direction and approaching him. The younger man still has no clue to what's happening to Robert, he most likely wants to catch up with Robert because they haven't seen each other since the EURO.

Thomas is smiling at him and Robert tries to pick up his pace to get away from him, but suddenly another Alpha hits him and he runs right into the arms of Mats.

„Hey, Robert, what's got you in such a hurry? You're-“

He breaks off and Robert knows he has picked up on his sweet Omega scent when Mats' pupils dilate until there's only a slim ring of dark brown remaining. Robert's blood runs cold when he hears Mats' low growl and suddenly the defender grabs Robert's arms in an iron grip to pull him closer. The touch of the Alpha is like a catalyst for his heat. Robert feels dizzy, followed by a sudden want to lean into the Alpha's arms because it's been so long since he let an Alpha claim him and he doesn't think he will be able to make it through an actual heat alone. But Mats is a good friend, he would take good care of him and that's exactly the reason why Robert can't allow himself to give in despite what his body wants.

Because he still remembers the last time – three years ago – that he had let one of his best friends take him during a heat. Despite a week full of aching and needing an Alpha to take him over and over agin, it had been one of the greatest weeks in his life. To wake up draped over another body every morning, exchanging a few lazy kisses and making breakfast together, before Robert's body would be awake enough to desire cruder things.

Only when that blissful week was over did Robert realize the reason for his temporary happiness. He had forgotten that the Alpha had only tried to help him through his heat and make it more enjoyable by staying with him for that time. He had made the mistake of allowing his needy body to see that Alpha as his mate. That's why it hurt so much when the Alpha left after that week. Maybe Robert should have told him that he had developed feelings for him, maybe they could have been more than friends. But Robert hadn't wanted to force him to stay and it had indeed been the right thing to do...

He is being brought back to the present by Mats lowering his head to Robert's neck, inhaling the sweet scent and licking over his pulse point. „Damn, you smell so good!“

Robert tries to push at Mats' chest but to no avail. Luckily the dangerous situation hasn't gone unnoticed and suddenly Mats is hauled off him with a harsh shove. Robert has barely time to realize that his treacherous body has already responded to Mats and there is slick pooling in his underwear when he hears another growl coming from his savior. He looks up to see that Thomas is standing in front of him and scowling murderously at Mats lying on the ground. „Get away from him.“ His voice doesn't sound human at this point and Robert realizes that Thomas isn't himself either. The only reason why he is able to focus on Mats instead of Robert now is because his instincts are telling him to fight for the Omega. Mats hisses angrily then he gets up and tackles the smaller man to the ground. Only one second later the two Alphas are a mess of entangled limbs, beating and clawing at each other like wild animals. Robert watches them with a shocked expression as he struggles to believe that he is the reason why his two friends are at each other's throats now.. He jumps when he feels someone grabbing his wrist, but it is accompanied by the calming smell of an Omega and he realizes it is only Philipp.

Their captain tugs at his hand impatiently. „Come on, you need to leave immediately.“ Robert lets himself be pulled along, away from the training ground and the last thing he sees from his other teammates is just as disturbing: Mats and Thomas seem to have noticed that their prey is leaving because they have stopped fighting and are trying to follow them just like Jérôme, Thiago and Arturo. However the five Alphas are met with a barrier.:Most of their teammates have formed a line of Betas to hold them off while Philipp and Robert are making their exit. In the background Robert can see the two other Alphas of their team, Manuel and Xabi. Both have enough self-control to keep themselves in check, however there is no mistaking the looks they give Robert as they watch him leave.

Philipp offers to drive Robert home and the Pole gladly accepts. He is feeling so feverish that driving himself wouldn't be a good idea and an Omega in heat running over a crowded street would be a even more dangerous...

By the time they have made it to his place, Robert's body is already aching and he gives a disappointed whine when he can't smell any Alpha around. No Beta either. Only Philipp who is an Omega and not a good fit right now, but he would be better than no one at all.

Robert hasn't realized that he has put his arms around the other Omega until Philipp tells him so. „Robert, let me go. I'm neither an Alpha nor your mate, you need to remember that.“

Robert shakes his head to clear the fog of lust in his mind and manages to unlock the door with shaky hands. „Sorry, I've almost forgot what it's like. This is my first heat in forever.“

„Yeah, I guessed as much. No one of us had a clue, we all thought you were a Beta because of your neutral smell.“

„Suppressants,“ is Robert's clipped answer and he closes his eyes, when he feels another wave of slick seeping out of his ass.

Philipp winces in sympathy as his nose picks up on the too sweet stench. „Jesus, this heat is a really bad one. There's not even an Alpha around and your body is still holding up a ' _Please fuck me'_ sign.“

Robert bites his lip and swallows down his anger at his stupid body. He gets into his house and speeds up the stairs into his bedroom. He's already managed to undress himself to lie down on top of the covers –mentally preparing himself for a week of misery and suffering – when Philipp appears in the room and places three full bottles of water on his nightstand. „You need to stay hydrated, remember?“

Robert nods. „I know, this isn't my first heat after all.“

„But the first in a very long time,“ Philipp argues and he sounds chiding now. „This is why it's such a bad one. Your body is giving you payback for the constant neglection. You will need an Alpha to help you through it. Even spending a regular one alone is risky, I don't want to imagine what this one would be like.“ Philipp squeezes his shoulder comfortingly before adding in a more gentle tone, „Please call someone to help you through this week.“

Robert hesitates. Of course Philipp is right, but he is afraid of giving himself over to strangers the next few nights. And spending the heat with an Alpha he is close with has already broken his heart once. Philipp is still waiting for an answer though. „Are you asking this as my friend or my captain?“

Philipp shrugs. „Whatever would prompt you to do as I say. So as both I guess.“

Robert closes his eyes and nods. „Fine, I will. Just leave for now please.“

Philipp obeys and lets go of him. „Then I'll get back to see how the others are doing. You created quite a chaos.“

Robert manages to smile at that and waits until Philipp is gone before reaching for his trousers that he threw to the ground in his haste to get his clothes off. He pulls out his phone and searches his contacts for a particular name, one he hasn't called in quite some time.

After hesitating for another long moment and wondering if he should really do this, he tips at the green symbol and listens as his phone dials the number.

It rings five times before someone finally picks up.

„ _Robert? I haven't heard from you in ages, are you alright?“_

The familiar voice of the only Alpha who ever claimed him sends a shiver of pleasant anticipation down Robert's spine. „I'm sorry for calling you, but I can't ask anyone else. I'm in heat right now.“

There's a long silence at the other end of the line.

„ _You're still taking suppressants, aren't you?“_ The Alpha sounds pissed.

„Yes,“ Robert admits quietly.

„ _So you still haven't found a mate yet?“_

„Would I be asking you if I had one?“ Robert retorts softly. „I know it's a lot to ask, but I can't do this alone. I need yor help.“

„ _Alright, I'm on my way. Try to keep calm, okay? I'll be with you in a few hours and then we will make it through this together.“_

Robert nods before remembering that the Alpha isn't able to see him. „Yeah, I'll wait. Thank you, Marco.“


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you reading What Is Love:  
> There won't be a new chapter until the end of this week, that's why you get a very early chapter for this story here instead. I hope that's enough to count as compensation. ;)

 

  
****

After that incident in the training Carlo sent all players home to cool down.

That's why Thomas is sitting at home now with his phone in his hands, wondering if it is wise to call Robert right now. He wants to make sure that he is okay even though that is kind of ridiculous. Robert is an Omega going through his heat without a mate. Thomas may not know very much about Omega biology, but even he knows that Robert is most likely going through a lot right now. For a very brief moment Thomas contemplates if he should offer his help, but he discards that immediately because it's just his hormones speaking and he would only be taking advantage of Robert's current situation. Robert would have asked if he wanted his help.

The rest of the day takes forever and very often Thomas finds himself thinking about his teammate, wondering why he had tried to keep such a thing hidden from them. It can't be because he is afraid of the team's reaction. They have a male Omega as their captain, that should speak for itself.

When Thomas goes to bed and finally falls asleep after hours of tossing and turning, he is dreaming of Robert. Of Robert smiling, blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight as he leans closer and kisses Thomas' lips softly, his scent filling the Alpha's nose...

Thomas wakes up with one hand in his underwear, popping a boner and he retracts his hand immediately, feeling like an absolute jerk. Robert is suffering and all Thomas' body can think about is how touching him, kissing him, being inside of him might feel like. Pressing his eyes tightly together Thomas turns to the side and pointedly ignores the uncomfortable feeling between his legs that is only amplified by the memory of Robert's beautiful smell. No, he will not jerk off to an image of Robert!

He tries to keep his mind blank as he waits for morning to come and by the time the sun fnally rises, he has fallen back into a restless sleep.

The following training session is one of the most awkward Thomas can remember. Robert is missing of course – not that anyone had expected anything else – but the events from the day before still loom over them like a shadow. After all they were all fighting against each other yesterday like wild animals...

After an hour Thomas has had enough and he walks over to Mats.

The defender looks at him with a mix of guilt and wariness. Thomas notes the purple bruise on his jaw, remembering that he was the one to deliver the punch responsible for it.

Thomas coughs, unsure how to start. „I should probably apologize for hurting you, that wasn't my intention. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret getting you off Robert, but I may have overreacted a bit by actually harming you.“

Mats gives him a soft smile. „No, it's me who should apologize. I let myself get carried away much too easily. I'm usually not the asshole I was yesterday.“

„So I guess you didn't know either?“ Thomas asks tentatively.

„That Robert is an Omega? No, I would have never guessed, he's not exactly your typical Omega type.“

Thomas has to agree with that. Robert's physical features, his height, his muscles and also the confident way he carries himself and doesn't back down from fights definitely helped selling the illusion. Thomas remembers when he first saw him on screen during a Dortmund match, thinking he must be an Alpha. Then Bayern played against Dortmund and when he shook Robert's hand, he hadn't been able to smell anything at all...

„He must have been taking suppressants regularly for all those years,“ Thomas muses.

Mats frowns. „I know and that's what scares me.“

„Scares you?“ Thomas repeats with an uneasy feeling. „Why?“

„It's not healthy to use them for such a long time period. I had an Omega friend who used them for three years straight and when she eventually found her mate and wanted to have kids with him, the doctors told her she couldn't because of taking those pills for so long.“

Thomas swallows around the lump forming in his throat. „God, that is awful. She must have been heartbroken.“

Mats nods grimly. „They adopted kids but she could never completely shake off the guilt for robbing herself of this possibility.“

They continued their training in silence while Thomas was thinking about what Mats had just told him. Why would Robert take such a risk? There must be enough Alphas out there willing to spend a night or even a whole heat with such a beautiful, strong Omega. And Thomas should really stop imaginig that, because the mere thought of Robert with another Alpha makes his insides boil.

„Are you alright?“ Mats asks worriedly and only then does Thomas notice that he has been growling quietly.

He shakes his head to clear his thoughts, but figures he needs to ask Mats if he ever wants to have piece of mind regarding that issue. „Did Robert ever have a mate? Or a one-night stand maybe? You don't want to tell me he hasn't had sex since he joined Dortmund.“ He tries to make it sound like a joke, but judging by the knowing look he receives from Mats he failed.

„I'm sure we would have known if he had a mate. And I can't remember ever smelling a foreign scent on him though you should perhaps ask him yourself. If he ever let his heat happen, it must have been during summerbreak. If...“

„That would mean one heat per year. Is that enough to make his body function normally?“

„Probably not,“ Mats admits. „For some time maybe, but not for so long. And now that I think about it, I do remember one time three years ago that he got sick during training and left for the rest of the week. Back then we didn't think much of it, but now I wonder if he was going into heat.“

Thomas nods. That would mean one failure three years after he joined Dortmund (and probably started taking those pills) and the next another three years later. That is definitely a scaringly long lapse of time.

Thomas drops the subject then and tries to think of other things. But he can't shake off his worry whether Robert is doing alright and if there really is no way for him to help. In the end he gives in and right after the end of training, when he has finished showering, he walks over to Philipp's locker.

„Philipp, I'd like to ask you something.“ He is surprised when his captain turns to him with a little smirk.

„I was wondering how long it would take you to get your guts together. You've been brooding the whole day.“

Of course Philipp picked up on that; why is Thomas even surprised?

„Well, I was wondering about Robert's heat. Is he going to be alright? If he's in heat now despite having taken suppressants, it's got to be a really strong one.“

Philipp sighs. „You're right about that. I told him as much and urged him to get help. I hope he will listen to me.“

Thomas feels a wave of annoyance course through him. „Get help? You mean you asked him to let himself be fucked by an Alpha?!“

His sharp tone makes Philipp frown at him. „Why are you upset about that? He' going through a really bad heat, his first in years. He needs someone to take care of him.“

„Exactly!“ Thomas retorts vehemently and he doesn't even realize that his teammates are giving him strange looks now. „He needs someone to take care of him, not some Alpha ass who's going to fuck him only because of the pheromenes he's giving off.“

Philipp stares at him dumfounded. „How can you talk like this, you're an Alpha as well.“

„That's my point!“ Thomas replies angrily. „I know how Alphas can be. And you saw what happened yesterday. Even Mats was ready to jump him even though he's friends with Robert. Can you imagine how little self-control a stranger would have when even his friends can barely control themselves?“

Thomas hasn't realized that he's stepped closer to Philipp until his nose picks up on fear underneath the calming Omega scent. He barely has time to realize that he is the one freaking Philipp out before there's a snarl from the side and someone pointedly places himself between Thomas and Philipp.

„Stop scaring my mate, Thomas!“ Manuel warns him with a dark scowl.

Thomas blinks a few times until he has got himself under control again. „Sorry, I got a bit carried away.“

He backs away slowly even though his instincts are telling him to fight because their Omega is going to get fucked by-

Hold on, not _their_ Omega of course. Dammit, Thomas needs to stop thinking like that, it's just his instincts going crazy, he should be so much better than that.

„Sorry,“ he repeats with an apologetic look at Philipp before leaving the room with everyone's eyes following him.

„Thomas, wait!“ he hears someone calling after him and when he turns back, he sees Mats standing behind him. „Maybe you should really check up on Robert. Philipp seems to think that Robert has listened to him, but I've known him for much longer and I'm not so sure. He isn't the type to sleep around a lot, I doubt he would let someone he doesn't know help him.“ Then Mats' lips curve up into a little smile. „He might need you.“

His words are like a balm to Thomas' soul and his anger and annoyance are lessened by the gratitude he's feeling for the other Alpha. But there is still one thing he'd like to know. „You're his friend. If you're worried, why don't you go and check up on him?“

Mats swallows and drops his gaze to the ground which almost feels like a surrender to Thomas' Alpha instincts. „You saw how I reacted to his scent yesterday. I don't know if I could be in one room with him without taking advantage of him and he doesn't deserve that.“

„I'm an Alpha as well, how can you be sure that I won't react the same?“

Mats shrugs, but there's a glint in his eyes that tells Thomas that he is hiding something. „You're different. Yesterday you put his safety first and I trust that the same will happen once you are alone with him. Of course your body is going to respond to his heat, but I have the strong feeling that you won't do anything to hurt Robert.“

Thomas stares at his teammate for a long moment, wondering what he did to deserve this much trust. „Thank you, I promse I won't let you down. I'm going to take good care of Robert.“

Mats smiles. „I'm sure you will. Now go and help your Omega.“

The rational part of Thomas' brain wants to correct Mats' slip-up because Robert isn't his Omega, not yet. But the fact that those words come from another unmated Alpha – one who has shown interest in this Omega himself – makes them all the more important. Mats is rooting for him and considering how well he knows Robert, Thomas couldn't stop the hope from rising even if he wanted to.

With a grateful nod towards Mats he leaves the building and gets into his car. He makes it to Robert's house in record time and doesn't even spare a second glance to his surroundings before sprinting up the porch and ringing the bell.

He isn't surprised that nobody opens up; Robert is most likely not in the mood for visitors right now. Thomas contemplates calling him, but he doesn't think that chances of Robert answering his phone rather than his door are very good. For a whole minute he stands there, wondering how to get his friend's attention and that's when his eyes land on a familiar Aston Martin Vanquish standing in Robert's driveway. Thomas knows that car, he has seen Marco Reus arriving in it multiple times. What the hell is his car doing here? That's when Thomas hears laughter from the garden followed by a long whine. It's like Thomas' mind is electrocutted. His Omega is whining and there's another Alpha here with him.

Thomas isn't aware of having moved, but seconds later he's rounding the corner and what he sees in the backyard, makes him freeze. There is a red blanket spread on the grass, an abandoned book on top of it and next to it a shirtless Robert is lying on his back with a slightly smaller Alpha straddling him and laughing softly.

Thomas feels like screaming but all that leaves his mouth is a pitiful whimper and that's when the two men look at him, their smiles vanishing instantly.

„Thomas?“ Robert asks surprised and Thomas doesn't know what exactly triggers his reaction. Maybe his voice, maybe his lust filled eyes, maybe the fact that Marco has put his arm around Robert protectively. All he knows that Robert calling his name is his last coherent thought before Thomas lunges himself at Marco.

They meet in the middle of the garden and their height difference gives Thomas a slight advantage. When they hit the ground, he is the one on top, his fingers digging hard into the other Alpha's shoulders and finally he manages a low growl and actual words. „You have no right to take him, Alpha!“

There is an honest to God _red_ sparkle in Marco's eyes as he lifts his foot to kick Thomas' upper thigh and thereby manages to push the taller Alpha off himself. „And you think you do?“ He is not attacking but placing himself in front of Robert. Having the Alpha between his Omega and himself riles Thomas up even more. He jumps forward and though Marco has seen that coming, the force is enough to make both of them stumble to the ground again.

„I won't let you take advantage of him, so leave!“ Thomas hisses as he pins Marco's arms down.

„I'm not the one who is taking advantage of him, you asshole! Robert called me to help him.“

Thomas stares down at Marco, eyes widening in disbelief. „No, you're lying.“

His shock leaves him temporarily unguarded and suddenly Marco pushes up and reverses their positions. „I don't have to and do you know why? Because I'm the only one he has let him help through his heat.“

Thomas stills underneath him, his mind rejecting Marco's words vehemently. „So you were the Alpha that took him during his heat three years ago?“

Marco doesn't ask him how he knows about this. „Yes, I was his last Alpha.“ Then his grip around Thomas' arms tightens painfully and he leans down until he's only inches away from Thomas' face. „His only.“

His words hurt like daggers piercing Thomas' heart. An inhuman sound leaves his throat before he somehow manages to free one of his hands and hit Marco's face so hard that the Alpha rails back with a howl of pain.

Thomas wants to hurt him for doing this to Robert when he was most vulnerable; wants to see his blood, to watch him writhe in pain and beg Robert for forgiveness.

But suddenly someone has placed himself between the two fighting Alphas and a delicious sweet scent fills his nose though there is something heavier and darker underneath it now. Thomas looks up and comes face to face with Robert, blue eyes blazing in fury. „What the hell do you think you're doing, Thomas?!“

Thomas is dumbfounded by the anger directed at him. „He hurt you.“

„No, he helped me when I needed him and that's the reason why I called him now as well. Because I wanted him to help me again.“

Thomas stares at him with wide eyes; a pain he has never experienced before filling his heart as he struggles to accept Robert's words. „You want him?“

Instead of answering Robert turns around and crouches down beside Marco, worry replacing his anger. „Marco, are you okay?“ His fingers swipe over Marco's swollen lip gently and the Alpha instinctively leans into the comforting touch.

Thomas can feel tears in his eyes because he longs for this kind of touch, for Robert to care for him like this, to accept him, to love him.

And that's the moment when Thomas realizes that he has fallen in love with Robert. It's not about lust or an Alpha desiring an Omega in heat. He simply loves Robert. The revelation comes too late, much too late, but Thomas needs to say the words out loud and let Robert know that he has another choice.

„Robert, I-“

„Go away!“ Robert interrupts him and the dangerous look in his eyes holds no warmth, nothing gentle that is so typical for an Omega. There is nothing but rejection in those ice-blue eyes.

But even now Thomas can't help but obey this command because he loves Robert and the Omega just asked him to leave. So Thomas does exactly that.

Slowly he gets up from the ground, taking one step after another away from the couple, his heart breaking into more and more pieces with each step. When he reaches the corner, he turns around one last time, hoping Robert will take his request back. But Robert isn't even looking at him. No, instead it's Marco's eyes that he meets and the smaller Alpha tenses as though he wants to go after Thomas. But then Robert is placing a soothing kiss to his cheek and Marco relaxes into his arms.

Thomas turns away from them and begins to run, not caring that he's leaving his car behind. He only wants to get away from the pain and sorrow in his heart...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have been writing for my two other stories, but I couldn't.  
> So I decided to continue this one because the sooner it is finished, the sooner I can get back to my other stories. ;)  
> A longer chapter because you guys are aweesome!

 

From the corner of his eyes Robert sees Thomas leaving and sadness fills him. It was necessary to send the Alpha away, otherwise he and Marco might have seriously injured each other, but his heart still sinks as the Alpha disappears.

Robert tries to focus on Marco instead. The blond's upper lip is chapped from the force of Thomas' blow.

„Sorry about this,“ Robert says apologetically. „Let's go inside and get an ice pack for you.“

Marco follows him without protest, but there's an uncharacteristic frown on his face. „I didn't expect Thomas to back down just because you told him so.“

Robert silently agrees with him. He had been prepared for many things, maybe even Thomas' anger shifting to him because Omegas don't talk to Alphas like that except if that Alpha is their mate. Not to mention that Robert is still very much in heat, another thing that should have clouded Thomas' mind.

Robert gets the ice pack and carefully places it on Marco's lips. The Alpha shivers at the coldness, but then he is back to frowing at Robert. „You are upset.“

It's not a question but a statement that treads dangerous waters. Robert shrugs, hoping to appear nonchalant. „He hurt you, of course I'm upset.“

„That's not what I meant,“ Marco replies and his eyes narrow to slits and it makes Robert's flesh crawl. „You're upset about Thomas leaving.“

„Don't be ridiculous,“ Robert says but it sounds forced. „I'm glad that he is gone. The only reason that he showed up in the first place was my heat. And I'm in no mood for another Alpha right now.“

That finally makes Marco smile in relief. „Good to know that I'm the only one you want.“

Robert chuckles and presses the ice firmer against Marco's lips. „I think the cold must have frozen your brain. How could I ever be satisfied with you?“

Marco leans away from the ice in his hand and his smile is replaced by a thoughtful expression. „You want something more permanent, don't you? A mate that lives in the same house as you; that you can see every day.“

Robert hasn't really thought about it, but now that Marco mentions it he realizes that this is exactly what he wants. „I guess so. I never thought I'd say this, but I finally want to settle down. To have a mate...“

„And kids?“ Marco asks softly. It's such a loaded question that Robert briefly contemplates not answering it but eventually he changes his mind.

„I've always wanted to have kids one day. At least when my football career is over.“ The mere thought of that makes Robert sad, so he pushes it from his mind and tries to bring the lightheartedness from earlier back. „Why are you asking me this all of a sudden? Don't tell me you changed your mind and want to have kids now.“ They talked about it back when he was still in Dortmund and Marco had been very clear that he didn't want to have kids of his own, a strange wish for an Alpha.

Marco shrugs. „Maybe. After our football careers of course.“

Robert isn't aware of spacing out, but he must have because suddenly Marco touches his shoulder and he looks concerned. „Did I say something wrong?“

Robert shakes his head, but his eyes are burning and of course it doesn't escape Marco's attention. „Then why are you crying?“

He tries to pull Robert into a hug, but Robert shrugs his hands off before finally saying the truth out loud. „I can't have kids.“

Marco frowns, clearly not understanding what he is trying to say. „What are you talking? You're an Omega and you can get pregnant during your heats. Why-“

„I visited a doctor half a year ago.“ Robert interrupts him because he needs to get this out in one go before breaking out in tears. „That was my last heat and though my suppressants managed to hide it for the most part, I had the feeling that something was still wrong with me. And the doctor told me that I had been taking my suppressants for too long, that I wouldn't be able to bear kids anymore.“

His confession stuns the Alpha into a shocked silence. Robert tries to keep himself from crying because he promised himself he would not cry about this anymore. He shed enough tears half a year ago and he is not going to pity himself over something that is his own fault.

Marco leans forward to put his arms around him, but his touch doesn't help at all. „Robert, I didn't know about that, I'm so sorry.“

His instincts urge Robert to pull Marco closer and let the Alpha comfort him, but Robert has had enough of biology messing with him. So he squirms away from Marco and runs up into his room, locking the door behind himself and sinking to the ground. And despite his fierce resolution he cries once again. Marco knocks at his door, begging him to open up and let him in, wanting to apologize but Robert doesn't move. It's not Marco's fault at all, but Robert just wants to be left alone for a while. His body is too warm and he feels another heat coming very soon, but he doesn't care. He can't come face to face with Marco who is exactly what you expect a perfect Alpha to be and realize what a horrible Omega he is when he can't even bear pups. And despite Robert having messed up himself like this, his body still craves for Marco to be inside of him.  
Robert hates that his body won't even let him be sad for one night. No, instead he feels himself getting hard again when he senses Marco approaching the door once again and knocking softly.

„Robert, I can smell your heat from downstairs. Please let me in, let me help you.“

„No!“ Robert shouts and immediately feels bad for letting his anger out on Marco.

„Please, Robert. You're only hurting yourself.“ Marco sounds so worried that Robert wants to open the door and comfort him. But he's in heat, so obviously neither of them would be able to leave it at a simple hug; it would develop into something more. And Robert can't do that tonight, not after they talked about having children, not after he told the Alpha that this isn't a possibility anymore.

„I'm sorry, Marco, I can't. I just want to be alone right now.“

As though to contradict Robert's words, the new heat wave hits him in that moment. He feels too hot even though he's already shirtless and his breathing becomes labored. He whimpers at the slick dropping from his ass and in a matter of seconds, the whole room is filled by his sweet scent.

Marco gives a muffled groan from the other side of the door. „I can't stay up here without touching you, Robert. I'll be sleeping on the couch downstairs. Just call me when you need anything.“

His voice – the voice of an Alpha – sends a pleasant shiver down Robert's spine and he feels himself getting more aroused. He gets up and stumbles to his bed, somehow managing to get rid of the rest of his clothes before he lets himself fall onto the mattress and begins to jerk off slowly. He buries his nose in the pillow under his head and picks up on a faint scent of Marco from last night. He inhales deeply and the smell of Alpha sends a tingling through his body. But just when he tries to imagine that it is Marco's hand stroking his shaft, the image in his mind changes. Blond hair is replaced by light brown, green eyes by blue though a bit of green-brown remains in the corner of the right one and Robert barely has time to recognize Thomas' unique features before he comes all over his hand.

For a few minutes he just lies there, eyes wide open despite his exhaustion. He just climaxed to the mental image of another Alpha, of Thomas. „No, this can't be happening...“ He can't be falling in love with Thomas, not now not ever.

Slowly Robert gets up from the bed and unlocks the door, hoping that it won't draw Marco's attention. He feels so guilty already and facing him would only make it worse. But there's no one outside, only the sound of the TV downstairs.

Robert walks through the corridor into the bathroom and grabs one of the towels to clean up the mess on his hand and stomach. He proceeds to make himself more presentable, finishing ten minutes later by brushing his teeth before finally exiting the room and walking downstairs to face Marco.

Marco has sunke into the soft cushions of the couch, the remote in one hand, but his eyes are glassy, so it's most likely that he doesn't even pay attention to the movie.

„Marco?“ Robert asks and the Alpha turns to him surprised.

„Is somethng wrong?“ the blond asks and tenses instantly.

Robert shakes his head before coming closer and taking the remote from Marco to switch off the TV. „No, I'm fine, I just wanted to apologize for my outburst. It isn't your fault and I'm sorry for the way I treated you. You deserve better.“

Marco smiles at him. „Stop saying that, I already have the best mate I could ever ask for.“ He hesitates and drops his gaze sheepishly. „And I think I'm finally ready to tell the world about it.“ Robert stares at the Alpha with wide eyes. „You mean...“ He can't say it. Because it can't be, Marco told him three years ago that he doesn't want to settle down with someone as long as he is an active footballer.

Marco shrugs. „It took me long enough to figure it out, don't you think?“

Robert smirks. „I'm just glad that you're not always this slow, not in certain other departments at least.“

„Well, you would be the one to know, right?“ Marco retorts in a seductive tone and just like that the strange atmosphere is gone.

Robert extends his hand to the blond. „Want to come upstairs?“

Marco widens his eyes in feigned shock. „Are you trying to get me into bed with you?“

Robert winks playfully. „Well, I'm in heat, it's not like you have much of a choice. You'll be thinking about me all night anyway.“

Marco takes his hand and lets Robert pull him up from the couch. „You're right and in that case I choose the bed over the couch of course.“

„Of course,“ Robert says while leading them back into his bedroom. He watches the Alpha strip down to his underwear before finally mustering the courage to speak. „Marco, I just want to sleep tonight, okay? I don't feel like, you know...“

He breaks off insecurely but Marco only smiles reassuringly. „I understand. To be honest I'm even glad about this. I need my undisturbed beauty sleep after all.“

Robert laughs before lying down on one side of the bed, allowing Marco to crawl under the covers behind him, one arm coming around Robert's waist instinctively. Robert tries to relax and the Alpha's presence should be helpful in his current situation. However something has changed. Marco's smell surrounding him is familiar but not comforting anymore. Marco is not the Alpha that he wants, not anymore.

So it's not Marco's soft eyes, not Marco's contagious laugh that he thinks of when his mind finally succumbs to sleep...

Much too soon Robert is woken up by the ringing of his phone. Groaning in annoyance he disentangles himself from Marco and tries hard to ignore Marco's erection that is pressing against his ass. Outside he can hear the howling of the wind and the relentless patter of rain.  
He blindly reaches over to his nightstand and picks up his phone.

„Yes?“ he asks sounding as irritated as he feels.

„ _Hey, Robert, it's me.“_

„Philipp? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?“ Robert whispers, careful not to disturb Marco. How the Alpha could sleep through his loud ring tone is a mystery to Robert.

„ _Sorry about that. It's just...is Thomas still with you?“_

That has Robert entirely awake in an instant. „No, I made him leave only minutes after he had arrived here. Why?“

„ _He isn't home and his car is gone too. He had an appointment with a journalist in the evening, but apparently he didn't show up. And he isn't answering his phone, half the team tried calling him.“_

Robert's blood runs cold. Thomas disappeared? „But where could he be?“

He jumps up from the bed, completely ignoring Marco who has finally woken up either because of the sudden movement or Robert's shrill tone.  
Robert looks out of the window and sees that Thomas' car is still parked in his driveway. „His car is here, so wherever he is he can't be far.“

„ _Thank God. Manu and I will come over and-“_

„No,“ Robert interrupts him. „This is my fault. I didn't realize that I hurt him, but I need to be the one to find him. Just leave it to me, I'll call you as soon as I have found him.“

He ends the call without waiting for Philipp's answer and begins to dress himelf hastily. Marco sits up on the bed with a frown. „What's wrong? Where are you going?“

„Thomas is missing,“ Robert says and grabs the first jacket he can find before tearing open the door and hurrying down the stairs.

Marco grabs his pile of clothes and comes after him. „And you want to search for him right now? Can't this wait until morning?“

Robert stops to shoot him a murderous glare. „He is missing and somehow me sending him away is the reason for it. I need to find him as soon as possible, there are so many things that could have happened to him especially in that storm.“

Meanwhile Marco has managed to get into his pair of jeans and is putting on his rumpled shirt. „You're an Omega in heat, you can't just go after him!“

Robert snarls impatiently. „Thomas is still out there and I'm going to find him. If you're so worried about my safety, you should just come with me.“

He doesn't wait up for Marco but storms out of the house immediately. For a moment he considers taking his car, at least it would be dry in there. But he has no idea where Thomas has run off to and going by foot gives him the chance to search for any traces of the Alpha that have not been washed away by the rain already.

He notices Marco coming up beside him. „Thomas is a big boy, he is going to be alright.“

Robert doesn't respond to him. Instead he keeps on scenting the air, taking a few steps away from his house, scenting the air again and repeating that process over and over again. He refuses to think about how Thomas must be feeling or why Robert's rejection seems to have upset him this much. He can try to make sense of the younger man's behavior later.

Eventually he picks up on a faint trace of Thomas' scent that leads away from the streets and into a small park. Robert icks up his pace then, sensing that Marco is following him with a bit of distance. They leave the street in favor of small trees and bushes and it maes Robert feel even more bad that Thomas was trying to hide, that he doesn't even want to be found.  
The ground is muddy and each step Robert takes makes his feet sink into the dirt and it slows him down considerably. The rain has become even stronger now and Robert gets hasty because despite the heavy rain Thomas' scent has increased, so he must be close by. Robert speeds up, pushing the little branches of the trees out of his way, not caring about the bloody scratches they leave on his hands or Marco falling behind.

And then he finally spots Thomas. He is sitting under a large tree at the side of the lake and Robert faintly remembers this place. Thomas showed it to him from the other side of the lake, telling him that he likes to come here when he wants to think.

„Thomas!“ he calls out and the Alpha's face turns to him with wide eyes.

When Robert reaches him, he drops onto his knees and pulls the other man into a tight hug. „Thank God, you are alright.“

For a long moment the Alpha doesn't respond at all, then he shudders and his arms come up around Robert's waist to hold him close.  
„You're here,“ he whispers and it sounds uncharacteristically weak for Thomas. „You came back for me?“

„I'm sorry for what I said, I shouldn't have been so harsh,“ Robert tells him and he hasn't even finished his sentence when he feels Thomas turn his face into Robert's neck to inhale his scent.  
„You're here,“ he repeats and Robert realizes Thomas is still entirely out of it, perhaps his instincts messing with him. The touching seems to comfort him though and Robert is surprised that the situation doesn't scare him more. He's still an Omega in heat and an Alpha is holding him in his arms. Textbook situation, he should be afraid and try to save himself. But the mere thought of leaving Thomas in this state is unacceptable, because Robert is to blame for this. „I'm sorry, Thomas. I was angry at you and I lashed out, I didn't mean to hurt you.“

He can't tell if Thomas heard him, but a moment later he feels Thomas licking the skin at his throat, just above the pulse point and Robert freezes instinctively. When nothing else happens, he realizes that Thomas is only craving more comfort, apparently another Alpha instinct.

There's a disapproving growl coming from the side and that's when Robert remembers, that he didn't come alone. Thomas stills immediately and raises his face to look at the other Alpha over Robert's shoulder.

Robert tries to turn back to Marco without disrupting Thomas. „Let him. He seems to need this right now.“

Of course Marco isn't pleased by that. But he only gives a clipped nod before turning back to where they came from. Robert raises his hand and strokes the back of Thomas' head gently, hoping to get the Alpha's attention. „Thomas, we should go to my house. We're both ging to catch a cold out here.“

Thomas doesn't respond but allows Robert to stand up and then they both follow Marco. Robert keeps on cheecking that Thomas is still behind him because he's aware that he's still not talking to the real Thomas, only to a rejected Alpha.

When they reach Rober's house after a few minutes, Marco is waiting for them at the door with an unreadable expression as he helps Robert undress Thomas.  
„He's in some kind of shock.“ Marco's voice doesn't give away how he feels about that. „I've seen something like this happen when an Alpha gets rejected by his mate.“

Robert ignores the hidden suggestion and leads Thomas upstairs into the bedroom, Marco following them again. Robert pushes Thomas onto the bed and pulls the blanket over his too cold body, but when he moves to leave, Thomas' hand shoots up to grab his wrist and finally his eyes meet Robert's. „Please stay with me.“

Robert hesitates for a moment. He's in heat, he shouldn't be doing this. But on the other hand Thomas is scared and he needs comfort, so Robert nods and slips under the covers as well. He hasn't realized that he was also in need in comfort, not until Thomas' arms come around his body and the Alpha lays his head on Robert's chest as though listening to Robert's heartbeat might calm him. Only then does Robert notice that he is calming down as well.

But there's still tension in Thomas' shoulders and his grip on Robert is too tight as though he is afraid that Robert might get up and leave. Robert looks down and sees that Thomas' eyes are still open and he's watching Marco closely.

Of course he would, Robert realizes. The bed smells of both Robert and Marco, so naturally the Alpha in Thomas sees Marco as a threat.

Robert turns to Marco. „Your presence seems to upset him. I think it would be best if you left us alone for tonight.“

Marco stares at him as though he has gone mad. „Robert, you're an Omega in heat. I will not leave you alone with another Alpha.“

Robert tries not to sound annoyed. Damn Alphas and their possessive behavior. „Look at him, Marco. Sex is the last thing he's in the mood for right now.“ Then he adds more gently, „I'll be fine. If something happens, I'll text you, okay?“

Marco gives up with a sigh. „Alright, I'll call Mats if he lets me stay at his place for the rest of the night. And tomorrow I will check up on you.“

Robert gives him a lopsided grin. „Thank you, you're the best.“

„I know,“ Marco replies before exiting the room and closing the door behind him. A minute later Robert hears Marco starting his car and driving away. A moment later he notices that Thomas has fallen asleep and Robert presses a kiss to Thomas' wet hair before closing his eyes as well...


	4. Chapter 4

 

He feels strangely warm. And calm. Relaxed. Happy.  
But the more he wakes up, the more Thomas notices that his body begins to become restless, that his blissful snoozing turns into him becoming aroused. Yawning Thomas opens his eyes, but when his eyes land on the sleeping form of a very familiar man only inches away from his face, he decides that he hasn't woken; this must be a dream. He is lying side by side with Robert, their legs tangled and Thomas' arm slung over Robert's hip. Thomas marvels at the details of his dream; Robert's slightly curled hair that needs a cut very soon, the little scar on the side of his mouth, his sweet smell...

Hold on. That smell, it is too strong, too intense. And then he remembers that Robert is still in heat and that's the reason for his arousal right now. Thomas tries to crawl away, but he can't do so without disrupting Robert's sleep, so he just stays where he is and wonders how they ended up sleeping in one bed. The last thing he can tell in detail is Robert telling him to go away. Everything after that is a bit of a blur. There was pain, his heart beating too fast, rain – a lot of rain, coldness and comfort. Very slowly clearer images come to his mind until he remembers being in Robert's arms while his Alpha was watching them silently. He isn't sure though if he only imagined that last part. Surely Marco would have a lot to say about his Omega taking another Alpha into his arms.

He doesn't get a chance to continue mulling over that when he senses a shudder going through Robert's body. He hasn't woken yet, but his brow has furrowed and he is drenched in sweat. Thomas stares at him, wondering what to do when Robert opens his eyes and they focus on him immediately. “Another heatwave's coming. A pretty bad one. You should go if you don't want to feel even more uncomfortable than you do already.”

Thomas nods and disentangles himself from Robert. He gets up from the bed just when he hears a painful whimper coming from the Omega. He looks back at Robert worriedly. This isn't Robert's first heat alone, he probably knows how to make himself feel better. But according to Philipp and Mats this is no ordinary heat...

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asks even though it sounds lame.

Robert has buried his face in the pillow and shakes his head. “Nothing I can ask of you.”

Thomas gets what he means. Sleeping with Robert is not an option, especially not with Marco in the picture. So despite his instincts screaming at him to go back to the bed, he turns away and walks to the door. Just when he starts to walk down the stairs though, he hears a high-pitched scream coming from the room and he runs back instantly. He isn't sure what he expected to find, but Robert vomiting up blood definitely hadn't been part of it.

“Robert!” he shouts worriedly and is by his side instantly, worry overtaking everything as the sweet scent in the room is tarnished by the iron smell of blood.

He wraps his arms around the still coughing Omega and wipes the dark strands of hair from Robert's forehead. “Robert, tell me what's happening to you.”

Another cough then the Omega sinks back against him and shivers. “Side effect from taking the suppressants for too long.”

“There's got to be something that I can do,” Thomas pleads because he feels so useless and scared.

“Marco being here with me helped. You're an Alpha too.” Thomas freezes immediately. He knows it's only Robert's hormones that make him propose this yet his Alpha instincts take this as victory that the Omega considers him as his mate, however temporary that would be. Thomas stomps down that stupid feeling by keeping a mental image of Marco in mind. “I'm not going to sleep with you, Robert. I'm sorry.”

“No, not sleeping with me.” Another coughing fit wrecks his body and once again he spits blood. “I just need you.”

Thomas' relief that Robert is still lucid enough not to betray his mate is clouded by confusion. “What does that mean?”

Instead of answering Robert grabs Thomas' arms and pulls the startled Alpha over his own body. Then he raises his head and scents along Thomas' collarbone. 

Thomas remembers that he did something similar when Robert found him, so he leans down to give him better access. He still lets out a surprised yelp when he feels Robert's hot tongue licking over his skin. At first it's only the tip, but then Robert is licking over the bone and up to his neck like Thomas is the most delicious thing he has ever tasted. It feels wonderful - too wonderful Thomas realizes when he feels himself getting hard again.

“Robert, if you keep on doing that, I won't be able to control myself much longer.”

Robert pulls back only to look at him through hooded eyes. “Make me feel better. Please.”

Thomas doesn't know if it's an actual command from his Omega, but it still prompts him into action. He changes his position slightly, so that's he's actually straddling them man underneath him and Robert's erection is right in front of him.

He needs to help Robert, there's just one problem. “Marco.”

Robert shivers at the name and his eyes flutter closed. “Don't want him. Want you.”

Thomas stares down at him, feeling absolutely terrified. Robert just rejected his mate. For Thomas. He tries to remember that Robert is desperate and doesn't even realize what he is saying right now, that he's simply craving the only Alpha in the room, but he still can't stop the pleased warmth from growing in his chest. Thomas feels disgusted with himself for that and he gets off Robert instantly. The Omega whines at the loss, but it is cut off by a strangled sound and Robert begins to cough up blood again. Now it is Thomas who whines pitifully at the sight.   
His Omega is dying, he needs to do something. He grabs Robert's phone and calls Marco even though he knows Mats' apartment is at the other side of the city and Marco won't be able to make it in time.

“ _Robert, it's 3 AM.”_ Marco's voice is croak as though he had been asleep. A second later though he seems to remember about Robert's heat.  _ “Are you alright? Did Thomas do something to you?” _

“It's me”, Thomas tells him and he's aware that his voice is trembling badly. “Robert's suffering. The heat wave hit him while we were sleeping.”

Marco curses.  _ “Shit! This shouldn't be happening, he had one last evening already. He should have been fine until late afternoon. _ ”

“This one is really bad. He's coughing up blood.”

“ _What?!”_ Marco's shrill voice hurts in his ears.  _ “That's never happened before. It's got to be the damn pills that have messed his body up.” _

At the mention of the suppressants, Thomas' scowl darkens. “How could you even let him take them for so long? You're his mate, you were supposed to get your ass from Dortmund to Munich and help him through every single one.”

“ _I wasn't the one who suggested he should take them. I told him that I don't like it that he's taking the pills, but he just said they make him pass as a Beta and he can focus on football instead of his hormones fucking with him on a regular basis.”_

That sounds indeed like Robert. It is no excuse, yet a part of Thomas understands. But he can worry about the suppressants later, now he has got a bigger problem. “He needs his mate. Please, you have to come and take him. He's begging me to and I can't keep myself in control much longer.”

He expects Marco to be furious with him for even thinking about Robert like that, but Marco surprises him.  _ “I'm already on my way, but it will take me too long to be there. When did he start coughing up blood?” _

“Five or six minutes ago,” Thomas answers.

“ _That's too long already. By the time I will be at his place, he may have choked on his own blood.”_

His words feel like knives digging into Thomas. “We can't let him die, there's got to be something we can do!”

“ _There is something,”_ Marco interrupts him and Thomas is so glad about those three words that he misses the Alpha's unsettled tone.  _ “Make him come, tire his body out, let him feel that there's an Alpha caring for him.” _

Thomas is sure that he misunderstood what Marco said. “Are you suggesting that I should have sex with your mate?”

“ _No, of course not!”_ Marco argues with a growl, the first reasonable reaction he has shown this morning.  _ “Just make him come. Hand job, blow job, I don't care, just take care of him. I'll be with you in forty minutes.” _

“Alright, thanks,” Thomas tells him gratefully.

“ _If you hurt him or do anything that he doesn't want, I will skin you alive,”_ Marco says darkly before ending the call.

Thomas puts the phone down on the nightstand and gets back onto the bed. Robert who has been lying on top of the bloody covers and has huddled into a ball looks up at him warily.

Carefully Thomas reaches out for him and makes him lie onto his back. “Come on, let's make you feel better.” He sounds much more confident than he feels.

Robert looks surprised at his sudden change of heart, but doesn't say anything while Thomas begins to trail down soft kisses over his chest and stomach. He only lets out a soft gasp when Thomas dips his tongue into his navel. His fingers are in Thomas' hair instantly, wanting to pull his head up but Thomas doesn't obey. He knows Robert wants to kiss his lips, but they can't do that. 

Robert seems too far gone to remember that Thomas is not his mate, so the latter needs to be the one to keep a cool head.

Thomas' eyes land on Robert's erection and he's actually impressed. So much for Omegas being small in every department...

“Don't stop,” Robert whispers impatiently and Thomas nods before gripping the older man's hips to keep him from bucking up.

Very slowly he drags his tongue up the base, drawing an entirely different kind of whine from Robert, so he figures he must be doing something right. He proceeds to lick along his shaft, coating it with his saliva while Robert's fingers curl in his hair and Thomas can feel his nails dragging over his skull in just the right way. He's getting harder as well as though Robert's arousal is connected to his own and he realizes that's exactly how it is supposed to be. They should both be enjoying this equally.  
Thomas has reached the tip now and he can feel Robert's breath stuttering in anticipation, but Thomas wants to prolong this sensuous moment for as long as possible. So he only swirls his tongue around the tip, earning a heated growl from the Omega. “Stop being a fucking tease, Thomas!”

And what a cruel Alpha would he be if he denied his Omega that request? So Thomas takes Robert's length into his mouth. Robert jerks and it's only Thomas grip that keeps him down and prevents the Alpha from choking. Robert pants helplessly as Thomas presses his tongue to the underside of his cock before he hollows out his cheeks and finally blows him in earnest. Robert bucks up so hard that even Thomas' hands can't stop him and his cock hits the back of Thomas' throat, making him choke. He pulls off and starts coughing and suddenly there are soft lips covering his own and it takes him a moment to realize that Robert is kissing him. He wants to kiss back, to explore his Omega's mouth, but he can't. He mentally chants Marco's name and reluctantly pulls away from Robert to push at his chest until he is once again lying on his back. “I'm not finished with you.”

For the second time he closes his mouth over Robert's cock, already tasting the first drops of precum and it only takes one more twirl of his tongue before Robert tenses. “Thomas, wait, I'm gonna come...”

Apparenty he expects the Alpha to back off now, but Thomas wants to have everything his Omega is going to give him. So instead of pulling back, he blows once more and with a scream of pleasure Robert shoots his load into his mouth. Thomas tries to swallow most of it and he is actually surprised that he doesn't mind the taste. Quite the contrary because just like Robert's smell it tastes sweet, not bitter like he expected.

Robert's hand drops to his neck and pulls him up for another kiss. Thomas kisses him once because he would feel like a jerk for denying the exhausted Omega that, but fortunately Robert has no intention to deepen the kiss.

“I love you,” he whispers and it is the worst thing he could have said to Thomas. Because he wants Robert to mean these three world-shattering words so much. But Robert has another mate and it's nothing but his hormones talking.

He has been so busy rejecting Robert's confession that he understands too late why Robert is mouthing and licking over his throat gently now.

Only when he feels Robert's teeth piercing his skin does he realize that Robert is  _ biting  _ him.

“No!” he shouts but the word turns into a loud moan as his vision turns white for a moment and he comes all over his and Robert's stomachs. 

The minutes after that are like a blur for Thomas. He is unable to move as the feeling of being mated – pure joy and happiness like he has never experienced it before – is washing over him. The only thing he can feel is Robert under him, his hands around Thomas' back to keep himself upright, his teeth still buried in Thomas' flesh and drawing litle sips of blood.

He has no idea how much time has passed when the strange trance ends and Thomas can finally form coherent thoughts again. Robert has let go of his neck, but he has his arms around the Alpha whose head is on Robert's muscular chest. It is the most comforted Thomas has ever felt in his life. He turns his head to look at Robert, expecting to see shock or hatred in his eyes. Because Robert already has a mate and he wouldn't have bitten Thomas like that if he had been able to think clearly. But Robert only smiles at him, looking both happy and tired. “I love you,” he says once again and the words affect Thomas even more than the first time. Apparently Robert is still too dazed from the pheromenes.

Thomas closes his eyes as he tries to hide the tears in them. “Please stop saying that. It hurts too much.”

Robert tenses at those words, but Thomas doesn't get to hear his verbal reacion. Because suddenly he can smell something else, something that is different from their mingled scents and he barely has time to identify the Alpha before he is hauled off the bed and thrown into the wardrobe as though he weighs nothing. 

“You made him mark you!” Marco shouts as he grabs Thomas by his neck and pushes him back against the demolished wood. “I shouldn't have trusted you with this!”

Thomas doesn't get to answer the furious Alpha when the blond's fist connects with his face so hard that it sends Thomas back onto the ground. He gets back onto his feet, but someone else has already come to his rescue. A tall figure has managed to push Marco against the wall and there's a deep growl coming from Thomas' savior. It takes him a moment to recognize Mats.

“Marco, calm down!” he hisses, but Marco barely acknowledges him as he tries to shove the Alpha away, his eyes focused on Thomas only.

Thomas turns to the side and meets Robert's wide eyes, both of them too shocked by the whole situation to do anything. And what could Thomas say anyway?   
'Sorry for letting your mate mark me, it just happened?!'

There is the sound of wood cracking as Mats pushes Marco to the side and presses him to the ground that is littered by the remains of the wardrobe. “Thomas, you need to leave! Now!”

Once again Thomas looks over to Robert, desperately hoping he will forgive him for what they just did. “I'm sorry, Robert. All that has happened was only because of your heat and I shouldn't have forgot that. I shouldn't have let it come to this.”

His apology seems to have the opposite effect of what he intented. Robert's shock makes way to sadness and anger. “Leave.” Thomas freezes at the intense hatred the Omega has put in that single word. He opens his mouth to say something, but Robert cuts him off. “I never want to see you again. Leave!”

There are tears glistening in his eyes and just like yesterday, Thomas' body obeys from its own accord. He turns away and runs down the stairs. In the living room he spots his clothes that Robert must have got him out of after finding him and he puts them on with a numb feeling. He can hear Marco shouting at Robert from upstairs and Mats trying to diffuse the situation but he doesn't make an effort to understand the words. The only important word right now is the last thing Robert said to him.

_ Leave! _

He walks through the front door and gets into his car to start the engine.

_ Leave! _

He drives, unsure where he is heading to, the only thing he knows is that he can't go back home where he will be all alone. 

_ Leave! _

He grabs his phone from the central console and speed-dials the first number that comes to his mind. Philipp picks up after the first ring.

“ _Thomas? Thank God, you're alright. Marco called us last evening after he and Robert found you. What-”_

“Can I come over?” Thomas cuts him off with a broken voice.

“ _Yeah, sure. But what happened? Why are you sounding so upset?”_

“I'll explain later,” he promises and ends the call. 

He reaches Philipp's and Manuel's house barely fifteen minutes later. The Alpha is already waiting for him outside, looking extremely worried while Philipp is standing behind him with a similar expression.

When Thomas exits the car, he is already being pulled into a tight hug and there's the scent of comforting Alpha surrounding him. And when Philipp joins them from the side to hug Thomas as well, the numbness makes way for despair.

Philipp tenses. “Thomas, you are reeking of sex. And Robert's smell is all over you.”

Before he can answer, Manuel pulls back with wide eyes, but he is not looking at Thomas' eyes. He pulls at Thomas' shirt to get a better look at his throat. “That's a mating bite.” Slowly he raises his gaze to meet Thomas' eyes. “What the hell have you done?”

And finally Thomas is able to start crying...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That ended up having a lot more smut and angst than intended. Sorry...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be home until Sunday, so there won't be any updates in the meantime.  
> That's why you're getting this one earlier than expected. :)
> 
> Unfortunately no Thomas in this chapter.

 

As soon as Thomas is out of the door, Marco whips around to face Robert.

“What were you thinking? How could you do that?”

“I'm sorry,” Robert says and closes his eyes. He had let his instincts rule him, because the Alpha moving above him had felt so right. And he loved that idiot even now that Thomas' words still ring in his ears. Even though Thomas regrets what they have done. “I was stupid and not able to think clearly.”

“Yes, I can see that!” Marco snaps angrily and Robert flinches as his harsh tone. He has never seen Marco this angry.

That's when Mats steps between them, giving the smaller Alpha a warning look. “Marco, that's enough for tonight. I understand your fury, but what's done is done. Letting your frustration out on Robert won't make anything better.”

Marco takes a deep breath to calm himself. “You're right. No more fighting. But I need to talk with him about this.” He holds the door open in a silent request for the other Alpha to leave. 

Mats approaches the bed and reaches out to touch Robert's head gently. “Please let me know when you need my help. Whatever it is.” Robert nods gratefully and lets Mats put a soft kiss to his hair. 

The action draws a disapproving rumble from Marco. “Careful, Mats. Don't you think I can't smell your arousal from here.”

Mats chuckles. “And I thought I was making a good job at being decent. But well, can you blame me? I'm not mated and he's a very attractive Omega in heat-”

He is cut off by a warning growl which only makes Mats' smile widen. “Don't worry, Marco, I was joking. Perhaps not the best timing I suppose.” He looks back at Robert  and squeezes his shoulder once before walking out of the room. The door closes behind him and then there's a loaded silence in the room.

Marco stares at Robert intently as though he's trying to figure him out.

When Robert can't stand it any longer, he finally speaks.

“I'm sorry for upsetting you,” Robert tells Marco whose face softens a bit.

“Robert, I'm just trying to protect you. But if you want me to leave for good and let you choose Thomas, you need to say so.”

“No!” Robert replies firmly, the mere thought of Marco leaving him alone now too frightening to think of. “Please don't leave me, I'm sorry, please!”

He hasn't been aware of sitting up, but suddenly Marco is right in front of him and pulling him into his arms. “Calm down, Robert, I'm not going to leave. I was just wondering. Omegas don't just bite Alphas randomly – not even when they're in heat.”

Robert hesitates, but he needs to tell Marco everything. He deserves to know the whole truth. “I love him.”

Marco stills and once again Robert closes his eyes, fearing that the Alpha will go back to shouting at him. But Marco only pulls back to look at him, then raises his hand and wipes the remaining blood from Robert's lips. “Robert, you made a promise to me.”

Robert's heart sinks. “I know.”

“Then why did you allow this to happen anyway?” Marco asks and his voice is calm. Too calm.

Robert doesn't know. All he knows is that he is in love with Thomas and just marked him as his Alpha. “Because I'm a fool. I forgot that the only reason for him being here with me was my heat. He didn't want me to die, that's it. I should have kept that in mind before biting him.”

Marco's eyes soften and finally the anger is gone. He still looks upset though. “He's the fool. For not seeing how beautiful you really are.” He leans forward and mouths along Robert's throat, the exact same spot that Robert just bit Thomas. “Inside and outside.”

Robert's heartbeat speeds up in fear. Because Marco won't mark him now, right? When he feels Marco's tongue at his pulse point, he shudders involuntarily, but it doesn't go unnoticed. Marco pulls back to look at the Omega with a thoughtful expression. “You are afraid of me.”

“Why would I be?” Robert argues even though he doesn't know whether he actually wants to reassure Marco or himself. “You've done a lot more to me than that.”

Marco hums in agreement. “Yet you have never let me bite you. You know I wanted to during that heat three years ago.”

Of course Robert knows that. “It was for the better and you know that as well. We both wouldn't be where we are now if we mated back then.”

Marco doesn't argue. “It's not that important right now. The question is, would you let Thomas bite you?” Robert freezes and Marco continues. “Would you let him claim you?” Marco drops his hand lower until it is ghosting over Robert's lower stomach. “Would you want to carry his pups?” 

Robert swallows. “I told you that's not an option anymore. I can't have kids.”

“Yes, but would you want to? If you could have kids with him, would you stop taking those damn pills and end your football career?”

Robert's first instinct is to deny it, because these are the exact things he has run away from. He has always put football above everything, he didn't need kids or even a mate. But now he realizes that the reason for him avoiding all of those things may have been because he hasn't had Thomas before. But now that he has marked the Alpha as his; now that he is still able to taste his blood in his mouth and feel the kind of pain Thomas managed to inflict of him even though they hadn't actually slept  toge ther, he realizes that he doesn't want to run away any longer. He has found Thomas. He has found his home.  
“Yes, I would.”

Marco's face darkens. “You heard him. He doesn't love you. He only did what he had to in order to keep you alive.”

It's the truth yet it hurts to have it spoken out loud. Robert feels a hot tear rolling down his cheek and curls into himself. “I hate him.”

He lets Marco lay them both down on the bed and press a soft kiss to the back of his neck. “No, you don't.” His voice is barely above a whi s per.

Robert turns to face Marco and pulls the Alpha closer even though his body recoils at the scent that is different from the Alpha he just claimed as his mate.  
“Yes, I do. I hate him for making me feel this way. For leaving me so vulnerable.”

He can't hold the tears back for any longer and allows Marco to pull him so close that his face is pressed into the hollow of Marco's throat.

“You love him.”

Robert pushes against Marco's chest while his feeling s take over; pain, hurt, rejection. “No, I don't.”

Marco continues to hold him through his outburst, not moving away when Robert begins to sob.

“I hate him.” He repeats those three words over and over again as though they would eventually become true. But when his tears have eventually dried and his body is too exhausted to keep up the fight, he finally gives in. All tension leaves his body as he sags against the Alpha.   
“I love him.”

Marco doesn't say anything. He only shifts his position until he is lying on his back, pulling Robert with him so that the Omega is lying on top of him.

“Marco, you don't have to stay with me just because you feel like you are obligated to.”

“I'm not obligated to do anything,” Marco replies swiftly. “I could walk out through that door and never come back. But then I'd leave you alone with all your problems and that wouldn't make me a very good friend, would it?” Marco turns his head to put a soft kiss to Robert's temple. When he pulls back though, he has scrunched up his nose. “You should really get a shower, Robert. It's bad enough that there's the stench of sex on you, but Thomas' scent is really driving me bonkers. And not in a sexy way.”

Robert gets up immediately and walks into his bathroom, surprised that Marco is following him closely. “What are you doing?” he asks confused.

“Joining you in the shower of course. In case you haven't noticed; I've been sleeping at Mat's place tonight and right now I can't stand any Alpha's scent, so...”

Robert watches him strip ping off his clothes and getting into the shower. Eventually he does the same and turns on the water. They often did this even before Marco found out that Robert wasn't a Beta, but for some reason Robert feels very exposed as he stands under the spray of luke-warm water, meeting the Alpha's intense eyes. He moves to turn around, away from that gaze, but suddenly one of Marco's hands is on his hip, making him halt. 

“Stay like that.” Marco grabs the soap and without breaking eye contact he begins to rub it over Robert's chest in slow circling motions. It feels more intimate than it should and Robert has to force himself not to move away.

Marco is still watching him carefully. “You 're feel ing uncomfortable.”

“It's not you,” Robert says even though that is a blatant lie. “I'm just...I don't know to explain it, on edge? Feeling raw like an open wound? Does that even make sense?”

Marco hesitates. “It does, I guess. Your body is confused. Yesterday my scent was the one you woke up to, but you fell asleep surrounded by Thomas' smell. You marked him and then sent him away. And now I'm here with you. Your body is overwhelmed.”

“I guess so,” Robert agrees quietly. “But I don't want to be afraid of you. And I don't want to be mated to an Alpha who doesn't love me.”

For once Marco looks helpless. “We can't undo the mating bite. But maybe it will help if we familiarize you with me again?”

“What do you mean?” Robert asks warily.

Instead of answering Marco puts the soap away, then he leans down to kiss Robert's neck. Robert tenses because it feels entirely wrong; his Alpha should be the one doing this. He jumps when Marco opens his mouth and bites down on the skin, just light enough  not  to draw blood.   
Robert pushes him away shocked. “Marco, stop! You can't mark me, I'm already-”

“Calm down,” Marco tells him. “If I had wanted to mark you, I would have bitten down harder. I just figured it might help in breaking your tuning to Thomas.”

Robert doesn't like this at all. Not only because his body keeps telling him that Thomas is the only one allowed to do that but also because they are treading dangerous waters here. “Are you sure it's okay if we do this?”

Marco smiles reassuringly. “Trust me, I'm more than sure. Unless you changed your mind about Thomas?”

“No. I can't be mated to someone who doesn't love me.”

Marco nods. “So I will have to do everything in my power to help.”

Robert tilts his head to the side in a silent invitation for the Alpha to pick up where he left off. Marco's hands roam over Robert's back as he leans down again and licks the sensitive skin of Robert's throat once before biting down. 

Robert jerks in response, but Marco has already gone back to licking over the abused skin. The blond pulls back and looks at Robert. “Does this hurt?”

“No, not really. It just feels wrong.”

Marco frowns at his words. “It will get better eventually. When Thomas  still  hasn't claimed you in a few months, your body will move on.”

Robert only gives a clipped nod. The thought doesn't sit well with him and he highly doubts that it will be this easy. Marco m ight have been right if the only thing he is feeling for Thomas was desire. But it's much more than that and Robert doubts that his heart will be able to just move on. He isn't sure if he even wants it to.

His brooding hasn't gone unnoticed.

“Robert, you need to make a decision now. If you want to be with Thomas, I can't be here with you any longer. If you don't, I will be happy to help.”

Robert looks at the Alpha for a long time, wondering what decision will be the right one. If there even is such a thing. Everything in him screams for Thomas and that's what eventually seals the deal. He is not going to pine for someone just because his instincts are saying that's  this Alpha the only one.  
“Help me.”

Marco grabs Robert's upper thighs and pushes him up against the wall of the shower. Robert hooks his ankles behind the smaller man's back despite the sudden urge to fight the Alpha off.   
All his life Robert has been careful not to let biology mess with him. He isn't going to change that now.

So he doesn't protest when Marco's fingernails rake over his legs so firm that they will surely leave scratches. He  stifles a whimper when Marco pushes him harder against the wall, dropping his head to Robert's chest and starting to li ck a stripe down his stomach, stopping here and there to lick along his abs, all the while growling quietly. It takes Robert a moment to realize that Marco's tongue is licking over the spots where the water has already washed away the cum from both Robert and Thomas. As though he can still smell the other Alpha on him.

“You're not usually this possessive.” He doesn't dare to ask, but Marco still understands.

“I don't know why I'm behaving like this. You're one of the most important persons in my life and I can't stand seeing you get hurt. Which is exactly what Thomas did.”

Robert pulls at the strands of  Marco's wet hair to make him look up. “Please don't be angry with him. In the end it was my own fault for believing that he loved me too.”

Marco doesn't look convinced. “I didn't expect him to take advantage of you. I thought he was better than that.”

Robert tries to grin. “You can't blame him though. Like Mats said, I'm an Omega in heat and obviously I'm  irresistible. ” His attempt at a bad joke only makes Marco grimace.  
“Please don't make jokes about your sex appeal while mentioning those two Alphas in the same sentence.”

Robert smirks. “Oh, so you admit that I have sex appeal?”

Marco doesn't bite on though. “You're trying to make me feel better, aren't you? You try to act strong because you don't want me to worry about you.”

Robert sighs. “I just don't want to drag you into my mess.”

“You already did when you called and asked me to help you.” Robert drops his head at those words, but Marco continues, “You need to learn to trust others with your problems instead of trying to keep everything to yourself.” He grins. “You and I might be mated for three years now if you had told me back then how you felt about me. It might have saved you a lot of heartache.”

He has a point there. Robert shrugs though. “It wasn't about what I wanted. And I didn't want you to be unhappy.”

Marco frowns. “What makes you think that I would be unhappy if we had mated? There are worse people to spend the rest of  my lifetime with.”

“You know what I mean,” Robert argues. “You weren't ready to settle down back then. I doubt that you are now despite what you told me yesterday.”

Marco appears only mildly offended. “Thanks. But seriously, Robert, I already have a house in mind. It's a bit old but big enough for a couple and a bunch of kids.”

Robert tenses but Marco continues already. “I know it's difficult, but we could still adopt kids. It's not the same, but I would love  them like my own I swear.”

Robert chuckles. “Of course, you would. And I'm sure you would be a great dad.”

Marco smiles softly, probably imagi ni ng it already. Then he meets Robert's eyes again. “Will you come to Dortmund?”

Robert freezes. “Now?”

“No, of course not now. Your new coach is going to kill me if I was dragging you to Dortmund just like that. But maybe next summer?”

Robert considers that before giving in. “I will talk to my managers, okay?”

“You're the best!” Marco says with a beaming smile and places a kiss to the tip of Robert's nose. “I promise you won't regret it.”

“I hope so. But can we go back to bed now? My skin's already wrinkled and we used up all the warm water.”

Marco lowers Robert back onto the ground and turns off the water before they step out of the shower and dr y themselves off.

When Robert drops onto the mattress, he can still smell traces of Thomas in the sheets and he winces when every point where Marco bit him flares up as though he has been set on fire.

“Everything alright?” Marco asks tentatively. 

Robert fakes a smile. “I'm fine. Just feeling a bit cold.”

Marco seems to buy it because when he crawls under the covers with him, he wraps his arms around Robert and pulls him closer to his own body.   
It takes Robert forever to finally fall asleep and when he does, he dreams of a large house, three little kids running around the room while Robert lets himself lean back against his mate. When he turns his head, the eyes that meet his are blue with a bit of green and brown... 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a new chapter! I missed this story so much! :)
> 
> If you start reading and you feel like, "Hm?! Did I miss something?"  
> Don't worry, you didn't, just keep on reading. ;)

 

The morning sun is flooding Thomas' house and slowly bringing it to life. The Alpha stifles a tired yawn as he trudges into the kitchen, barely feeling the cold of the tiles underneath his naked feet. He isn't surprised to find his mate standing there, cutting red pepper into neat slices.

“Good morning,” Robert greets him without looking up from his task and Thomas puts his arms around him from behind and lets his chin drop onto his mate's shoulder.  
“You know, it was a bit upsetting to let such a wonderful day begin alone in bed.”

Robert turns his head to look at him, an amused smirk on his lips. “I can barely imagine.”  
Then he gives Thomas a soft peck on the lips before going back to cutting the pepper.

Thomas takes a deep breath and sighs happily at the familiar scent of his mate. “Hm, you smell so good.”

“Thanks, but if you wanted to convince me to go back to bed with you, no.”

Thomas whines at that. “But it's my birthday.”

“Yes, that's why I can't. You wanted to celebrate with the guys at home and someone needs to make the food. And because it's your birthday, I thought I'd give you the day off.”

“Please, just half an hour, that's all I'm asking for,” Thomas begs but he already knows the answer.

“No, we can do that tonight once our guests are gone. Provided you and Thiago haven't drunk yourselves under the table.”

Thomas rolls his eyes. “Come on, that was one time.”

Robert raises an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything as he begins cutting the chives now.

Thomas turns his face to Robert's neck and begins kissing it lazily. When his lips touch the white crescent-shaped scar of Robert's mating bite, the Omega finally lets out a soft gasp. “Thomas, I told you I don't have time for this.” He doesn't sound like he actually means it though.

“You don't have time for me?” Thomas asks and tries to give him his best puppy-eyes impression. It seems to work.

“That's not what I was trying to say and you know that,” Robert tells him with a smirk that makes the little scar at the corner of his mouth stand out. Thomas just can’t help himself and leans forward to puts his lips against it, feeling Robert’s composure crumble as Thomas lets the tip of his tongue flicker over the scar. Robert turns towards him, eyes closing as he deepens the kiss, opening his mouth to give his Alpha better access. Thomas feels so warm all of a sudden like he has been set on fire, his whole body burning and aching for more that it’s bordering on becoming uncomfortable…

And suddenly Thomas opens his eyes and realizes it was only a dream. He is lying on a couch, a thick blanket covering him and the scent of another Alpha filling his nose. He notices someone approaching him from the side and can’t help a low growl from escaping his lips.

“Easy, tiger, it’s just me,” a familiar voice tries to placate him and belatedly he recognizes Manuel.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” Lame excuse, but he can’t really explain his current moods even to himself.

“It’s fine,” Manuel reassures him softly. “When Philipp and me marked each other we had to lock ourselves in his house for a whole week, because we couldn’t keep our paws off each other. I can’t imagine what it must feel like when the mating bond hasn’t been completed.”

Thomas doesn’t respond.  
Mostly he’s heartbroken which doesn’t come as a surprise to him considering he has just fallen in love and got rejected, not to mention the itching mating bite at his throat. But now that he has awoken from his bittersweet dream, he also feels a strange restlessness overcoming him. It’s similar to the one he felt tonight when he woke up with Robert pressed against his body, desire coursing through him. Only now Robert isn’t here with him anymore and his desire is mixing with longing and despair. The smell of another Alpha standing beside him doesn’t really help the matter either.

“Thomas, you look sick,” a worried Manuel remarks. “Maybe you should skip training today. I’m sure Carlo would understand.”

“I’m fine. It’s probably just a side effect from the mating bite.” The idea of staying in this house and doing nothing doesn’t sit well with Thomas. He needs to take his mind off things.

Manuel gives him a doubtful look but leaves him be for now.

Thomas spends an awfully long time in the shower, failing to stay focused on just rinsing his hair and scrubbing his skin. His mind keeps returning to the wonderful feeling in his chest at waking up with Robert sleeping right next to him; the way he tasted as he came inside of Thomas’ mouth, the explosion of sensations as he marked Thomas and of course to what he said.

_I love you._

He’s barely aware that he’s getting hard again, the moist air in the bathroom filling with the heavy scent of Alpha while his mating bite has gone from itching to throbbing painfully. He barely registers any of it over the sorrow in his heart.

He needs his mate. He needs Robert…

He stays in the shower leaning against the wall, breathing hard for half an hour until he feels slightly better.

When he has dressed himself and walked into the kitchen, he finds Manuel sitting there with a cup of coffee in his hand, watching with a deep frown.

Thomas pours himself a cup of his own and as soon as he has taken his first sip, he notices that there’s only a faint trace of Philipp in the air.

“Where is Philipp?” he asks.

Manuel looks at him and it’s hard to tell whether he is angry or worried. “He had to leave early while you were busy in the shower.” Before Thomas can respond, he adds, “He is an Omega and the smell of your arousal was becoming so intense that he had to go, otherwise I would have had to take care of him.”

Thomas pales as he gets what Manuel is trying to tell him.  
“Did I really almost trigger Philipp's heat?!”

Manuel shrugs and Thomas has the suspicion that the only reason Manuel isn't mad at him is because they are such close friends. “His heat was due in two weeks anyway, and he got away in time, the heat won't be coming for a few more days.”

“Is Philipp mad at me?” Thomas asks tentatively.

“No, of course not. It’s not your fault that your body is acting so strange.” Manuel gives him a reassuring smile. “How are you feeling now?”

Thomas isn’t sure how to answer that. “I don’t know. Irritated, I guess. My bite has got worse though.”

Manuel walks over to him. “Let me take a look at that.”

Thomas obeys and tilts his head to the side, exposing the mark to the watchful eyes of the other Alpha.  
Manuel frowns as his fingers trace over the wound lightly, the touch feeling entirely wrong and making Thomas shudder.  
It doesn’t escape the other man’s attention. “The bond wants to be completed. I’m sure the pain will fade with time.”

Thomas nods. “Don’t worry about me.” He points at the clock on the wall. “But if we don’t get going soon, you may have to worry about Carlo. We’re going to be late.”

Despite his concerns, they get to training just in time and Thomas is glad to find that Robert is missing again. His bite is causing enough trouble as it is, even without the man responsible for it being in proximity. Despite the warm temperature, Thomas chooses one of the few kits with a high collar to hide the bite at his throat.

He makes it through warm-up and stretching without incidence, but then Carlo makes them form groups of four and Thomas deliberately chooses the ones least likely to ask questions: Philipp who already knows everything and the two Betas Javi and Joshua. If he’s lucky they will be too immersed in the exercise to notice that’s something’s off with him and even if they do, he’s sure they won’t mind if he refuses to answer.

It takes barely five minutes before Thomas realizes he has made a grave mistake. He hadn’t considered that his body might be able to sense Philipp’s upcoming heat. Their captain is always so careful about it, always skipping training at least two days before it is supposed to start and now Thomas has somehow messed his cycle up. Under normal circumstances Thomas would take note of Philipp’s scent changing, getting sweeter with every passing hour and that’s it. Because Philipp is mated and marked by another Alpha, so it’s an unspoken rule that he is off limits.

But today something is different.

The bite has gone back to throbbing painfully and Thomas can feel arousal coursing through him again, just like this morning. The problem is that he isn’t alone right now and Philipp smells deliciously sweet. It is still not the scent he’s so desperately yearning for; Philipp is mated, Manuel’s smell forever linked with his, but he’s still an Omega that is very close to his heat.

Thomas bites his lip to keep himself in control and just when he contemplates breaking the training unit off, the two Betas beside him notice that something’s wrong with him.

Javi gives him a curious look. “What’s up with you that’s got you so horny today? Is there someone special you’re thinking of?” He’s probably meant that as a joke, but his words only make it worse. Because for a short moment, a memory of Robert flashes up in his mind: The look on the Omega’s face right after he orgasmed, when he pulled Thomas in for a kiss and that’s when Thomas’ mind snaps.

His whole body is on fire, his senses overloaded by pain and want. It burns him and Thomas isn’t really aware of moving, but suddenly he’s right in front of the only present Omega, gripping the smaller man’s arms tightly. The touch only makes it worse because the smell is all wrong, rubbing over his skin like sandpaper, but the pain is too much, he needs it to stop, to get-

Thomas is torn away from the Omega so harshly that he stumbles into Joshua’s arms. The young Beta catches him instinctively and when Thomas looks up he comes face to face with a furious Alpha.

“Get away from my mate,” Manuel threatens and Thomas shudders when he sees the entirely red eyes focusing on him. He knows what that means. Manuel isn’t in control either, the need to protect Philipp the only thing he can think of.

And then Joshua makes the observation Thomas should have made way earlier. “Thomas, you’re having a rut.”

He should have known. But his last rut was almost a year ago and Thomas cannot remember ever having one that felt this intense.

He takes in Manuel’s blazing eyes, how he has placed himself protectively in front of his mate even though Philipp is pushing at him to step aside, so he Can talk to Thomas.  
Maybe there is a way that could make his body stop from what it is doing right now, to take the edge of his rut off before it is too late. After all the most important instinct is survival…

Without warning Thomas tears away from Joshua’s grip and lunges at Manuel. His sudden attack gives him a quick advantage as they hit the ground, but he has no intention of hurting Manuel, so he rolls himself off. Before he is back on his feet, Manuel is over him, hands digging hard into his shoulders and his eyes still red.

Thomas ignores the growl he receives and tries to land a punch in the other Alpha’s face, but Manuel is faster. His fist moves with so much force that all Thomas notices is a blur before his head feels like it’s exploding from too much pain and his mouth fills with blood.

A moment later arms are grabbing Manuel and pulling him off Thomas. He can see that they belong to two Alphas of their team, Jérôme and Arturo. Despite their combined strength they have trouble getting the situation under control as it becomes apparent that Manuel is too gone to recognize them and trying to fight them off. Thomas is barely aware of Joshua and Javi kneeling at his side and helping him to sit up as he watches Mats stepping right in front of the raging Manuel, hands raised placantly and talking to him quietly.  
“Hey, Manu, focus on me. Listen to my voice, please.” Eventually Manuel’s gaze switches from Thomas to Mats and very slowly the red dims down and makes way for light blue again. When he looks back to Thomas, he seems to realize what just happened. “You wanted me to hurt you, didn’t you?”

Thomas uses the back of his hand to wipe away the blood from his lips. “It was my only chance to put my rut off for now.”

He hasn’t realized that Carlo is standing beside him until his coach speaks. “Why did you show up at training in this condition? You put the whole team at risk.”

Thomas drops his head when he realizes just how close they scraped past calamity. “I wasn’t expecting a rut any time soon.”

“What do you mean you didn’t expect one? With how fast you snapped, you must have felt it coming for one or two days already.”

Thomas has no idea what to say. If this was a normal rut, Carlo would be right. However this one is different…

The silence is broken by Mats. “Tell him, Thomas.”

Carlo frowns. “Tell me what?”

Thomas hesitates because he doesn’t want to drag Robert into this mess. But there has been too much damage already and the team deserves to have an explanation for his behavior. Maybe no one will draw the connection to Robert as long as he doesn’t say anything. So all he does, is pull at his collar to expose the bite on his throat. Several gasps go through the group and it is Xabi who voices the obvious. “This is a mating bite.”

Carlo stares at it as though he has trouble believing it. “Something’s wrong with it.” It’s not a question. He waves for their team physician Volker to come over and points at the bite. “Please have a look at this.”

Thomas flinches when Volker touches the wound, but stays still to let him examine it, their team mates watching them silently.  
After a while Volker pulls back with a grim expression. “The mating bond hasn’t been completed. That’s what must have triggered his sudden rut, his body is still stuck in the mating process.”

Carlo stares at the physician dumbfounded. “What does that mean?”

“It means he needs to either complete the mating or he is in for a lot of suffering. The rut is already so intense, I’m afraid it could take longer than usual until his body returns to normal.”

Thomas swallows. “How much longer?”

Volker shrugs. “That’s hard to tell. A few days, a few weeks.” Thomas closes his eyes as he tries to hide his desperation. He won’t make it through _weeks._

Thiago is the first of the group to speak. “Thomas, where is your mate? You need to get him or her to complete the process.”

“No!” Thomas argues more vehemently than intended. “I can’t do that to him.”

Xabi touches his shoulder gently. “Thomas, that guy is your mate. He-”

“No, he’s not!” Thomas yells at the other Alpha. “That’s the problem, he’s not my mate.”

He can see that he’s not making any sense to Xabi, but he can’t tell them about Robert. They would only judge them for what they did.  
Xabi looks up at Mats as though hoping for an explanation for him, but when Mats keeps quiet, he adds, “Thomas, he bit you. People don’t just do that if they aren’t absolutely serious.”

“He didn’t mean to mark me, I was just helping him through his heat.”

Thiago crouched down next to Xabi, looking at Thomas as though he was sure he hadn’t got the point. “Thomas, he _bit_ you. Most couples only do that after months or even years of being together. He has got to love you”

Thiago’s words only make it worse. Because they sound so true, that he can feel hope rising inside of him despite knowing how foolish that is. “He doesn’t love me, he hates me.”

“Why would he have any reason to hate you?” Xabi asks in a voice that is probably meant to calm him.

Thomas meets the other Alpha’s eyes, speaking out loud what he has refused to think about up to now. “Because I made him cheat on his mate.”

The news drops like a bombshell. Xabi stares at him with wide eyes. “So he already has a mate? He bit you despite having a mating bond with someone else?”

“No, it’s more complicated than that,” Thomas argues. “They don’t have a mating bond yet, at least I have never seen a mating bite. That doesn’t make them any less of mates though.”

Thiago and Xabi share a quick look before the former replies. “He is with someone else and didn’t bite him. Then you come along and not only does he spend his heat with you, he also marks you as his. Sounds to me like he has already decided with whom he wants to be.”

Thomas closes his eyes. “Please stop. I know he doesn’t want to be with me. And even if he did, I would never ask him to leave his mate for me. I couldn’t live with myself if I was responsible for destroying their relationship.”

He has barely finished his sentence when he feels a jolt going through him and his body is once again filled with painful desire. He groans and leans forward, away from Philipp’s sweet scent behind him. “I should leave now.”

Mats helps him stand up and Thomas lets his head drop against the other man’s neck, hoping the smell of another Alpha will help him keep a clear head.

Manuel grips him from the other side. “You can’t be alone right now, let me go with you.”

Thomas shakes his head. “No, Philipp will need you during his heat. You heard Volker, no one knows how long my rut will take. You can’t leave your mate for that long.”

Manuel doesn’t protest, but he doesn’t look happy either.

“You can stay at my place,” Mats tells him. “I don’t have a mate and there are no Omegas living in my neighborhood, so it won’t be a problem.”

“You would have to skip training,” Thomas remarks and winces at another surge of pain in his lower body.

Mats gives him an incredulous look. “You aren’t seriously believing that this is an issue right now?”

Thomas spares a look at Carlo who just nods in response to Mats’ words, he gives in. “Fine.” He lets Mats guide him away from the training ground, just when he hears Arturo turn to whisper into Thiago’s ear. “What’s going on with everyone lately?! First Robert has an unexpected heat, now Thomas has a rut. Who’s gonna be next?”

If the situation wasn’t this serious, Thomas would have laughed. Instead he presses himself closer to Mats, trying hard not to think how Robert is dealing with his heat right now. Or with whom…


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I can get back to this story, I missed it SO much!  
> Blue_Night and JuliaHummingbird were asking for another chapter now that 'Let the Right One In' has come to an end and of course, I couldn't deny two of my most devoted readers such a wish. :)  
> I was planning on updating this week anyway. ;)
> 
> I hope you will enjoy getting back into the A/B/O world of this fic.
> 
> Also, I know that I still have a lot of comments that I haven't replied to yet, but I'm barely home this week, so please be patient with me.

   
 

Six days have passed since Robert bit Thomas.   
Five days since Philipp called to tell him that this caused Thomas to have a rut.  
Two days since Mats started messaging him that Thomas’ condition was getting worse.  
24 hours since Robert’s last heat wave.

He is fiddling with his phone when Mats’ number flashes up for the eight time this week and just like all the times before, Robert’s heart sinks. He knows what Mats will ask and up to now he always had to reject the Alpha’s plea because of his heat. But not this time.

He glances at Marco sitting on his couch and watching TV, wondering how he will manage to convince the blond Alpha that he needs to do the right thing before eventually accepting the call.  
“Hello, Mats. So you calling me means he’s still not better, I guess.”

“ _He’s even worse than yesterday,”_ Mats replies with worry in his voice. _“I thought it couldn’t get much worse than last evening when he tried to jump_ me.”

Robert thinks he must have misheard him. “But you’re an Alpha. And he’s not even attracted to you.”

“ _I know, that’s why I thought it couldn’t get much worse. But since this morning he is so weak that he can barely stand up and I had to force him to eat something only for him to vomit it up right after.”_

Robert swallows around the lump in his throat. “He needs an Omega…”

“ _No, he needs his mate.”_ Mats’ voice is soft, but it is clear that he won’t allow any argument about this point.

His words burn in Robert’s chest because they are not completely true. “I started the bonding process, but he is not my mate.”

“ _I know and I’m not asking you to complete the bond. But I don’t know what to do anymore, you’re the only one capable of helping him. The only reason why I wasn’t asking you sooner was because of your heat; it would have been too dangerous to have the two of you in the same room. Please, Robert, I’m begging you.”_

Robert bites his lip. He is still hurt by Thomas’ rejection after he had confessed his love, not only in words but also in form of a mating bite. But on the other hand he really doesn’t want the Alpha to suffer…

“Fine, I will come over. I just have to talk with Marco first.”

“ _Thank you,”_ Mats says relieved. _“And good luck.”_

Robert ends the call and then takes a deep breath before walking into the living room.

“Marco, there is something we need to talk about.”

Marco sighs. “It’s about Thomas isn’t it?” When he sees Robert’s surprise, he adds, “It’s not hard to figure that out, you have been very anxious ever since Mats told you that he is getting worse.”

Robert nods. “I need to help him.”

Marco doesn’t look particularly surprised, but he still tenses visibly. “Thomas is having a rut and his Alpha side sees you as his rightful mate. You know what would happen if you were alone in one room with him.”

“Mats seems to be sure that Thomas is so weak that he may die if I don’t help him.”

He can see Marco’s inner struggle; on the one hand his instincts tell him to protect his Omega, on the other hand he also wants to help Thomas.

Carefully Robert sits down on the couch right next to him. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of letting him complete the bond. I haven’t forgotten his words; that he regrets what we did. But I can’t stand the thought of him suffering any longer, I want to help him.”

For a long moment Marco is silent then his hand comes up to touch Robert’s neck, right where a mating bite should be. “I can’t tell you what to do, this is your decision alone. I’m not your mate.”

Robert smiles softly. “But you’re my Alpha.”

“What does that even mean?” Marco asks, even though he already knows, they talked about this several times since they shared Robert’s heat together all these years ago.

“It means you have the final word and I will accept your decision.”

Marco frowns. “I don’t owe you. You are free to make your own decisions.”

“No, you misunderstand me,” Robert replies. “You’re my Alpha and I don’t want to do something that will upset you.”

Marco shakes his head. “I won’t be upset if you help Thomas. All I’m asking is that you should be careful not to lose control.”

“I’m not in heat anymore,” Robert reminds him.

“But you love him,” Marco says, his amber-golden eyes watching Robert’s reaction closely.

Robert swallows. “I love you as well.”

“I know. But I don’t bear your mark, Thomas does. So both of you will be craving to complete the bond.”  
Robert opens his mouth to say something, but Marco isn’t finished yet. “Like I said, I want you to help him. Just keep the physical touching to a minimum. I’m not saying this because I’m a possessive Alpha, I’m saying it because I don’t want you to accidentally complete the mating bond and feel miserable afterwards.”

Robert stares at him for a long time, grateful that Marco is so understanding and caring. “Can I kiss you, please?”

Marco laughs at that. “But only once. We don’t want this to get out of hand, do we?”

Robert smiles before leaning forward and sealing the Alpha’s mouth with his own, just a gentle innocent touch of lips. “Thank you,” he whispers against Marco’s lips before pulling back and getting up from the couch.

He grabs his keys, ready to leave the house when he sees that Marco has followed him with a troubled expression. “Robert, there is something else I wanted to tell you.”

Robert stops curiously. “What is it?”

Marco ducks his head regretfully. “I’ve been here for a whole week now. I only got so much time off because your heat was an emergency, but I have to go back to Dortmund tomorrow.”

Robert almost forgot about that. “It’s fine. I know you have other duties as well and I understand. I promise I’ll be back in the morning, so we can at least say goodbye.”

“You don’t have to if Thomas really needs you to be with him. I can-”

“No!” Robert cuts him off, his tone allowing no argument. “You helped me through the worst heat of my life, the least I can do is give you a proper farewell.”

Marco shrugs. “It was the least I could do.”

“That’s not true. You didn’t have to do it and I would have understood if you rejected me.”

Marco’s gaze softens. “We’ve talked about this Robert. We may not be mated, but you’re very important to me. So actually you _do_ have every right to ask this of me.”

Robert could come up with a lot of reasons to disagree, but decides to let it go. “Careful. Otherwise I may consider marking you as mine after all.”

Marco raises an eyebrow amusedly before his eyes drop to Robert’s throat. “Sorry, but I don’t think that’s possible.” Then he grins playfully, “We could still try though. The three of us would certainly make a nice threesome.”

“Only in your dreams, Mars.”

Then Robert finally gets into his car and drives to Mats’ house.

When the tall Alpha opens the door, it becomes clear that he hasn’t been exaggerating regarding Thomas’ condition. Mats has dark circles under his eyes and he looks relieved to see him. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re finally here. I have no idea what to do anymore, I even called a doctor yesterday.”

Robert winces. “And what did he say?”

Mats drops his gaze, an unusual thing to do for an Alpha facing an Omega. “The same thing that I told you earlier on the phone.”

Robert suspected as much, but it still makes him feel guilty. “He needs his mate.”

Mats doesn’t respond, there is no need to. He steps aside to let Robert in before leading him upstairs to the guest room. Robert hasn’t even reached the door yet when he can already feel his body responding to the Alpha’s heavy scent that has been amplified by his rut.

He tries to take shallow breaths and breathe in as little of that delicious strong scent as possible, but his whole body is already burning with the need to help his suffering mate. Especially when Mats opens the door and he sees Thomas huddled in the middle of the bed, covers thrown off because he seems to be having a fever. His whole body is trembling violently, but a second later he stills and takes a deep breath. Then Thomas opens his eyes and Robert’s insides freeze when he sees they are entirely red.

“Robert.” He makes the name sound like a prayer and Robert knows Marco has been right to be worried. If he is alone with Thomas right now, something _will_ happen.

“Mats, would you stay here with us, please?”

“Of course,” Mats responds immediately and that calms Robert a bit.

Carefully he approaches the bed, the eyes of the Alpha on the bed following him warily until Robert sits down beside him. Then his gaze drops to Robert’s unmarred throat and he frowns, his instincts probably confused that Robert smells like his mate when there is no bite.

“Thomas, can you hear me?” he asks carefully.

The Alpha closes his eyes. “Why are you here? Lying beside you without being able to touch you will only make it worse.”

Robert reaches out and gently wipes the hair from Thomas’ forehead. “You _are_ allowed to touch me.”

A shiver runs down the younger man’s spine and he groans. “Don’t say things like that. I’ve already done enough damage, Marco is going to kill me if he finds us here.”

“Marco knows that I’m here with you,” Robert replies.

Thomas hesitates before asking in a low voice. “He knows that I’m having a rut and he still let you go? And I thought he was a very possessive mate…”

Robert freezes. “You of all people should know that he isn’t my mate.”

Thomas swallows. “I’m sorry that I didn’t stop you from starting the mating process.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault,” Robert whispers. “I shouldn’t have let my feelings get the better of me.”

“You were in heat,” Thomas reminds him. “Don’t blame yourself for giving in to your instincts.”

His words only increase the guilt Robert feels. “But that’s the thing. I didn’t bite you because of instincts.”

Thomas frowns. “Then why did you?”

Robert wonders if he should really say it out loud; if it would actually make a difference considering Thomas regrets having helped him through his heat. Thomas deserves to know why he is suffering right now.

But Robert knows it would be stupid to make a love confession to an Alpha who’s having a rut. There’s only one way this would end and afterwards Thomas might regret it.

No, that will have to wait for a few more days. Robert needs to know how Thomas truly feels about him. When there’s no heat or rut clouding his judgement.

“It’s not important right now. All that counts is that we make it through your rut. Tell me what I can do to help.”

Thomas chuckles though it sounds weak. “Besides the obvious, you mean.”

“Yes, besides that,” Robert agrees with a grin.

Slowly Thomas pulls at Robert’s arm until the Omega is lying down beside him before pulling their bodies closer and inhaling his scent. And then growls disapprovingly.

Robert tenses. “What’s wrong?”

Thomas pulls back and stares at him, his expression torn between sadness and anger. “You smell of _him_.”

He doesn’t have to elaborate, it’s clear who he is talking about. And Robert understands that Thomas’ rut makes him even more possessive and jealous than Alphas already are. Maybe it would be best if Robert doesn’t reply at all, but he can’t stop himself from defending Marco, not after what he did.  
“Of course his scent is all over my body, after all he spent an entire heat with me.”

Robert wouldn’t have been surprised if Thomas got angry that he mentioned his heat and Marco in the same sentence. But Thomas merely whines then he tilts his head to place a kiss to the older man’s jawbone.

“Thomas? Are you alright?” Of course he isn’t, but this behavior is strange even for an Alpha who’s having a rut. Thomas should be wild and lust filled, not seeking for affection. Unless there’s more to this than only desire…

His thoughts are interrupted when he feels Thomas’ tongue licking over his throat and pushes at the Alpha’s chest instantly. “No biting, Thomas!”

Once again he expects the Alpha to be angry and once again that’s not the case.

“Sorry,” Thomas mumbles apologetically. “Can I just hold you? Please?”

Robert smiles and instead of answering he drops his head to the Alpha’s chest, feeling the heat radiating from his body and trying not to let heavy scent of Thomas get to him.

They stay like this for a long time, both of them pointedly ignoring the visible proof of Thomas’ desire even though Robert can feel it pressing against his hip. He hasn’t even noticed that Mats must have left at some point because when the tall Alpha approaches the bed, he’s carrying a tray of food and cups of water.

“Thomas you should eat and drink something,” the Alpha suggests concerned.

When there’s no reaction from Thomas, Robert carefully disentangles himself from him and sits up to take the tray from Mats, earning him a disapproving growl from Thomas. He isn’t sure whether Thomas minds the sudden distance between their bodies or the close presence of the other Alpha.

“Mats, I think you and me being in one room isn’t helping him to keep a cool head.”

Mats nods. “Yeah, I’ve noticed. Though I have to admit he’s a lot more docile than I expected. I thought he would try to rip your clothes off as soon as you walked through the door.”

“Me too,” Robert has to admit. “But he needs me to take care of him.” He raises his head to give Mats a meaningful look.

Mats stills as he gets what the Omega is trying to say. “Robert, I’m not going to leave you two alone in this room. His control won’t last forever, especially not with you being so close to him.”

Robert sighs. “Mats, I know you’re just concerned about me. But your presence clearly upsets him.” Then he tries to give his friend a brave smile. “I’m his mate, Mats, or at least his body thinks so. He won’t do anything that I don’t want.”

Mats doesn’t look very reassured. “And what exactly do you want?”

Robert wonders if his friend knows what a loaded question he just posed. He can’t say out loud what he feels for Thomas, how desperately he wants them to become mates, so he dodges the question. “I know he regrets what we did and he has every right to be. I’m to blame for what he’s going through right now and it’s my responsibility to help him. Please let me do this for him.”

Mats gives him a troubled look. “I don’t have a good feeling about this. But you’re right, you are the only one who can help him.” He reaches out and briefly squeezes the Omega’s hand which is once again accompanied by a low growl from Thomas. “Just call me if you need me. I promise I will hear you.”

Robert nods gratefully and waits until the defender has left the room before turning his head to the Alpha beside him. “Thomas, you need to eat and drink. Your stomach hasn’t got anything for days now.”

“I tried,” Thomas answers him. “It didn’t work.”

“It will now,” Robert replies, his fingers ghosting over the mark he left on Thomas’ neck. “Because I’m your mate and you would make me very sad if you if you failed.”

He knows he’s being manipulative now, using the Alpha’s need to make his Omega happy, but he has to if he wants to help Thomas.

The Alpha whimpers at his words, the mere thought of disappointing his Omega making him shudder. “Fine, I will try.”

For the next few minutes they don’t speak a word while Thomas is eating and drinking slowly and Robert is rewarding him with soothing touches in return.

When Thomas still hasn’t emptied the contents of his stomach half an hour later, he finally starts to talk. “Thank you for doing this, Robert.”

“I wanted to come sooner, but I needed to wait until my heat was over.”

Thomas’ face darkens and his eyes turn red once again. “You spent your heat with Marco, didn’t you?”

Robert has been prepared for this kind of behavior from Thomas, knowing the Alpha doesn’t mean to be this rude, but it’s his hormones messing with him. “Thomas, I was in heat and he is my Alpha. I needed him.”

Thomas growls and suddenly Robert finds himself lying on his back with the Alpha holding him down. “You’re my mate! He isn’t allowed to touch you like this!”

Robert shudders under the intense gaze, but realizing he needs to make Thomas snap out of his possessive Alpha mode. It’s a good thing that he is the physically stronger of them.

He pushes up against the Alpha above him and manages to reverse their positions, trapping Thomas’ wrists in an iron grip. “I don’t have your mark, so you have no right to say that!” He can see that his words hurt Thomas, but there’s no other way. “Marco is my Alpha and I’m grateful that he stayed with me during my heat.”

Thomas stares up at him with a pained expression, but at least his eyes are back to their usual color. Robert still expects him to argue or fight, but is surprised when Thomas raises his hand to the Omega’s face.  
“How many times did he pleasure you?” His voice is barely above a whisper, anger replaced by despair. It breaks Robert’s heart.

“How many times did you let him take you?” Robert is shocked by how vulnerable the Alpha sounds and he opens his mouth to say something, but Thomas isn’t finished yet.

“How many times did you beg him to knock you up?”

Robert freezes instantly, the words stinging his heart like salt on a wound. His body begins to shiver and he scrambles off the Alpha like he has been burnt. “I can’t.”

Thomas frowns and sits up, watching him confused. “What are you talking about?”

Robert closes his eyes as he steels himself for the disgust on Thomas’ face when he finds out that he almost bound himself to a damaged and useless Omega.  
He still can’t keep the tears from rolling down his face and his voice from breaking.

“I can’t have kids anymore.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I'm way too soon with the update and I still haven't replied to the comments on 'Let the Right One In', please forgive me.  
> I wanted to include a bit more into this chapter and actually, this was supposed to be the last chapter dealing with Thomas' rut.  
> But I got quite the backlash on the last chapter from one of my readers (not one of you) and I'm someone who can't deal very well with rude remarks, so I'm feeling like an absolute failure now and that's how this chapter happened.  
> There's not much happening besides Robert and Thomas continuing their talk. I thought it was interesting to let Robert explain his relationship with Marco to Thomas. I hope you guys think the same...

 

 

Thomas feels like someone has dropped a bucket of ice-cold water over him. He shouldn’t be so shocked by that revelation, after all Mats already mentioned the possibility. But to hear the confirmation from Robert himself is so much worse and Thomas feels like a jerk as he realizes just how much he has hurt his Omega with his careless words.  
“Robert, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

When he sees that Robert has started to cry silently, he reaches out for the Omega, halfway expecting to get rejected, but Robert pulls his arms around him instantly. Thomas’ body is overwhelmed with sensations, his need to comfort his Omega momentarily drowning out the burning pain and desire of his rut.

Once again he drops his head to Robert’s neck and begins to lick the skin there, an intimate gesture meant to comfort his mate though it would be a lot more effective if the Omega had his mark. 

Nevertheless Robert tilts his head to the side, a silent invitation for the Alpha to continue. Thomas tightens his grip and turns them around until Robert is lying underneath him again. This time it isn’t a display of dominance though.

“Tell me what you need to feel better,” Thomas asks pleadingly and he’s sure he would do absolutely everything to help Robert.

The Omega finally opens his eyes and a sad smile appears on his face. “You’re having a rut. I should be helping you, not the other way around.”

“That can wait,” Thomas argues and he really means it. He can still feel the tingling of desire and he knows he can’t let Robert stay the whole night, but he can comfort his Omega for a little while longer. “I will let you know once it gets too much.”

“Thank you,” Robert replies and then he leans up to give him a short kiss.

Thomas groans at the pleasant burn that’s coursing through his whole body, the sweet smell of the Omega drowning out everything else and his eyes landing on Robert’s throat again and he wonders…

“Is what you just told me the reason why you and Marco don’t have a mating bond?”

Thomas doubts it because he has always thought of Marco as a strong and caring Alpha, not someone who would hold something like this against his lover, but he needs to be sure. 

Robert doesn’t meet his gaze. “No, that’s not the reason. He didn’t know that I had developed feelings for him during my heat three years ago, he just wanted to help me. And I didn’t want to make him stay only for my sake.”

“But if he doesn’t know about your feelings, why is he here now?”

“I told him that I loved him a few months after my heat. He said he couldn’t be my mate, that’s not his kind of thing when it comes to me. But he would like to be my Alpha.”

The arrangement confuses Thomas. “So the two of you are in a relationship, but you are keeping the door open for someone else?”

Robert eyes him carefully. “Something like that.”

Thomas notes the melancholy in his eyes and Robert’s words come back to him. “How could you agree to that? You were in love with him, why did you never tell him that you wanted him as your mate?”

“I thought he only helped me because we were friends and he simply didn’t want me to suffer. So I didn’t tell him about my feelings, but I still wanted to be his and him to be mine.”

Now Thomas is finally able to make some sense of the strange dynamic between these two men. “So even though you’re not mates, you bound yourself together by a promise. Why?”

Robert looks away then. “We never really discussed it, it just happened naturally after my heat. I was afraid at first that what we shared meant nothing to him, that he would want us to go back to friendship.”

“But he didn’t?” Thomas asks and his heart sinks as his hope that Marco would let his Omega go if Thomas showed him that his feelings for Robert are real, vanishes into thin air.

A gentle smile appears on Robert’s face, eyes staring into the distance as he seems to relive a fond memory.  
  
“He was getting very possessive. Whenever some of our team mates would look at me a second too long, he growled at them until they backed off.” He chuckles before adding, “One time Mats was asking me out for dinner. You should have seen Marco’s face; he was glaring daggers into Mats’ back. A few weeks later Erik was trying to seduce me in the showers…”

Thomas stomps down the brief wave of anger at Mats and Erik and he actually feels sympathy for Marco who must have been so clueless why he was reacting this way. “He must have been so frustrated.”

“Certainly. But I think he was even more frustrated by my reactions to them.”

Thomas freezes. “What do you mean ‘your reactions’?”

His unreasonable jealousy must be showing on his face because Robert gives him a strange look as though he isn’t sure whether it is wise to continue or not.

“Tell me, please,” Thomas pleads in a low voice. “I need to know.”

Robert looks up into his eyes but he looks almost afraid. “I told you that I never let any Alpha claim me after that one week with Marco.”

Thomas narrows his eyes as he notices what Robert is not saying. “Fine, so nothing happened between you and Mats besides that one dinner.”

“And a kiss,” Robert adds automatically before biting his lip.

Thomas closes his eyes at the image and it takes him a lot of effort not to get up from the bed, walk down the stairs and rip Mats’ head off. He mentally reminds himself that this has been years ago and even if Robert was his mate, he has no right to get angry because of past relationships. And it was just a kiss anyway.  
“You said you didn’t let an Alpha claim you. But Erik is a Beta.”

He knows he hit the nail on the head when Robert casts his eyes down. “I thought I was hopelessly in love with Marco. I rejected Mats because a part of me had already accepted Marco as my mate, so I knew I couldn’t enter a relationship. And that’s exactly what Mats was looking for when he asked me out. That’s why we left it at that one dinner.”

His anxiety is only making it worse and Thomas feels his control slipping rapidly. “Robert, you’re avoiding my question. What happened with Erik?”

The Omega takes a deep breath before finally meeting his gaze unflinching. Thomas is momentarily distracted from his dark emotions by the pride he’s feeling for his Omega; pride that he doesn’t just give in to the hard stare of an Alpha in rut, even if that Alpha is Thomas himself.

It doesn’t last long when he hears Robert’s next words. “I let Erik take me in the showers after training.”

And Thomas snaps. It’s like he’s moving on his own, seething hot fury filling every fiber of his being and he lets out a loud roar.

_Someone else took his mate… Someone ELSE… HIS MATE._

Suddenly there’s skin between his lips and he belatedly realizes that he has closed his mouth over Robert’s throat, needing to mark the Omega as his, because no one else should have a right to touch him, because they belong together, because-

There’s a hard punch to his face and Thomas is thrown off the bed. He gets back onto his feet instantly and when his eyes meet the glowing red ones of his attacker, the last shreds of sanity leave him.

Because it is another Alpha, one who has tried to win Robert’s heart before, one who has dared to kiss him and now he’s standing next to the bed, too close to Thomas’ mate.

He surges forward and even though Mats sees him coming, Thomas still manages to pin the taller Alpha underneath him. He is so far gone that he can’t even form coherent words. Instead he snarls, yet Mats doesn’t submit to him but bares his teeth and tries to push him off.

There’s someone tugging hard at Thomas’ arm, a familiar voice speaking to him and Thomas begrudgingly turns his head towards his Omega.

“Thomas, stop it, you’re hurting him!”

“Why are you protecting him?” Thomas retorts furiously, fear joining his anger. Does this mean Robert wants to take Mats as his mate?

Before the Omega can respond, Mats uses Thomas’ state of distraction to push him off, his fingers digging so hard into Thomas’ side that there will surely be bruises. 

Thomas winces in pain but before he can react properly, the weight is gone. Thomas leans up and finds Mats being pressed into the ground and Robert above him to hold him down. Thomas doesn’t think he has ever seen such a terrifying look in his Omega’s face, his eyes blazing so vibrant blue that they seem to glow.

Thomas can only stare in fascination as he realizes that this is the first time Robert has lost control over his Omega side like this. Considering that he kept his nature a secret for so many years, Thomas might be the only one in a very long time seeing the beautifully unnatural color in Robert’s eyes– well, except for Marco.

Under normal circumstances the thought of Marco getting to see this would send a new wave of jealousy through his body, but then Robert speaks and his words are everything Thomas ever wanted to hear…

“Leave my mate alone, Alpha!” His voice is laced with venom and Thomas has to suppress a shiver of excitement.

Mats just lays there and stares up at Robert with wide eyes. It’s hard to tell what exactly caught his tongue: The burning gaze directed at him? Robert rejecting him? Or perhaps the most unusual thing of it all, an Omega daring to command an Alpha?

Eventually he manages to speak. “Robert, you’re not thinking straight. I’m just trying to help you.”

Robert hisses and goddamn, the sound does so many things to Thomas’ body…

“I don’t need your help, Alpha! I’m not going to let you hurt my mate!”

Mats blinks several times and then he does something Thomas could not have anticipated in his wildest dreams. He tilts his head back and exposes the vulnerable skin of his throat to Robert. He  _submits._ To an Omega.

Robert is so shocked that he forgets his anger for a moment.

“What are you doing?”

“What every sane man in my position should do. I’m submitting to someone more dominant than me.” Mats has to be the only one who can manage to not make this statement sound like a weakness but common sense.

Robert frowns. “I’m an Omega. I’m not dominant.”

Mats smiles. “What does one thing have to do with the other? I always thought I’m a strong Alpha and just now I was absolutely terrified that you would rip my head off. So naturally I have to submit and hope you will accept my apology.”

Robert stares down at the Alpha underneath him for a long moment, apparently taken aback by the whole situation. Then his gaze softens and he leans down to enclose the vulnerable skin at the Alpha’s throat with his teeth.

For a moment Thomas is afraid that he is going to bite down and make the Alpha his, but that doesn’t happen. Robert is careful not to break the skin, he just rolls the spot between his lips, drawing a pained gasp from Mats before pulling off and finally getting back onto his feet.

Thomas stares at the abused skin, noting that it is red and will leave a visible bruise for a few more days, but that’s it. It looks minor compared to the deep permanent mark on Thomas’ throat and the younger Alpha relaxes. 

Mats turns to him with a troubled look. “I honestly don’t know what to do anymore because I want to do right by Marco as well as you. I tried not to get involved and let you sort this out on your own, but if I may give you a well-intended advice.” When Thomas nods his consent, he continues in a softer voice. “Let Robert spend the night with you, let him help you through your rut.”

Thomas opens his mouth to say something, but Mats has already turned away and is walking to the door, leaving the two other men alone with each other.

Thomas can’t meet Robert’s eyes because he doesn’t dare to hope that Robert will ever agree to do this for him, not after he sent Thomas away when he realized that he had bitten Thomas. And the Alpha can’t really blame him for doing so, now that he knows about Robert’s feelings for Marco. Robert is in love with him and the only reason why they aren’t mated is because Marco didn’t want to. 

Robert would never do anything that could drive Marco away.

When the silence between them is stretching, the Omega lets out a sigh. “Thomas, will you lay down on the bed with me? I’m just asking you to hold me, nothing more.”

Thomas knows he’s only making this so much worse for himself, but he can’t say no. The fight with Mats and the earlier conversation with Robert has drained him and he needs his sleep. In a few hours he will get woken up by his rut and then he will be too far gone to think reasonable. So these hours of sleep are the only moments he can be with the Omega without doing something that cannot be undone. And he doesn’t have the strength to resist the prospect of having Robert in his arms for a little while longer. 

So he climbs back onto the bed and pulls Robert down with him until they’re lying side by side. Robert is careful to leave a little bit of distance between them and Thomas is grateful because he’s sure touching the beautiful and strong Omega would only spark the desire again. For now he desperately needs a bit of sleep, so that he can fight his rut once he has woken up again.

“Robert, I need you to leave as soon as I wake up. I don’t want us to accidentally complete the mating bond."

Robert tenses, but he nods. “If that’s what you want.”

Thomas watches him for a long time, thinking about everything Robert told him. He still doesn’t understand why he and Marco haven’t mated up to now. Because now Marco knows about Robert’s love for him and it’s clear that the blond Alpha is very possessive of his Omega and won’t just allow someone else to take Robert away from him. So why don’t they just make the final step?

Is it because both are hesitant to bring the topic up, fearing they would destroy what they already had? That doesn’t make much sense though.

Or is it because Robert doesn’t want his lover to bind himself to an Omega who can’t get pregnant? And that’s why he is leaving the door open for someone else…

“Robert, does Marco know that you can’t get pregnant?”

Robert opens his eyes. “I told him during my heat this week. I thought he would be repulsed and stating that it was my own fault for hiding my true nature for so long.”

“So he wasn’t angry?” Thomas asks tentatively.

“No, just shocked.”

Thomas thinks about that for a while before asking the really important question. “Did Marco ever mention if he wanted to have kids?”

Robert frowns at him. “He told me last week that he is thinking about settling down and adopting kids. To be honest his decision surprised me, he has never shown any interest in it before. But of course I’m glad that he changed his mind.”

Thomas wants to cry. Robert and Marco are already thinking about adopting kids. His last hope at winning Robert’s heart fades with each word. 

He still forces himself to go on. “I thought Marco didn’t want to have a mating bond.”

Robert’s whole expression changes and a small smile appear on his face. “I thought so too, but now he finally seems to be ready to show the world that he has already found his Omega a long time ago and just didn’t realize it.”

A very small part of Thomas is glad that Marco finally sees Robert as his mate, because the Omega deserves this after years of pining. But just a very small part of him. The rest of his heart feels like it has been shattered to pieces. He tries again, hoping he can convince Robert to choose _him;_ that he will take better care of the Omega than Marco ever could.

“But isn't it a bit early to think of kids and moving in together? It's been three years and now he's just like 'We need to make up for lost time'? 

Robert gives him a cold look. “You just said it. It's been three years until he managed to admit to himself what he truly wants. Don't you think that's long enough?”

Thomas doesn’t know what to say to that. Robert and Marco deserve to finally be happy together, especially because it took them so long to find each other.

The knowledge that he lost his intended mate to Marco hurts like nothing he has ever experienced before. 

He hasn’t even managed to digest this information when Robert drops the next bomb.

“Marco told me about wanting to buy a bigger house in Dortmund, but up to now I had no idea why.” 

His gentle smile widens while Thomas feels like he has been slapped. “Wait, you're going back to Dortmund?!” 

Robert frowns at his shrill tone. “Yes, next summer. Why? Is there something wrong with it?” 

Thomas forces himself to stay calm. “No, it’s nothing.”

Now he can’t help himself and he pulls Robert closer until they’re finally touching and Robert’s scent is surrounding him like a blanket. After a moment of hesitation Robert’s arms come around his back to hold him close, giving Thomas the comfort he needs right now.

It still takes Thomas forever to fall asleep…


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that I updated the tags for this chapter.
> 
> This chapter was such a pain in the ass (literally), because it took me a long time to finally get into the writing mood for it and I'm a bit insecure if I managed to meet your expectations. I sincerely hope you will like it though.  
> A long chapter for you, my lovely readers, because your response to this story has been nothing short of amazing so far. I love each and every one of you. :*
> 
> This chapter will finally have some overdue confessions from Thomas' and Robert's side, so that's something.  
> Not long until the end of this story...

 

 

Robert doesn’t know how long they have been out, but he is eventually woken up by Thomas moving against him from behind. All traces of fatigue are gone immediately and his eyes snap open even though all he can see is the darkness of the room.

Thomas’ body is so hot that it seems to burn his skin where they are touching and when Robert takes a deep breath, he realizes the obvious reason: 

Thomas’ rut has flared up again. 

Robert reaches out towards the nightstand to switch on the light before he looks down to his waist where Thomas has draped his arm over him and he can see that the Alpha has clenched his fist so hard that his knuckles have turned white.

“Thomas, are you alright?” he asks tentatively even though it is clear that the Alpha must be suffering.

“No,” Thomas confirms his suspicion in a hoarse voice. “You should leave now. I don’t want to force myself on you.”

He’s probably right, Robert should leave indeed, their whole situation is a bad enough mess already. But if he did that, he would abandon the Alpha he has marked as his mate. And just because Thomas hasn't completed the bond, doesn’t give Robert the right to abandon him now.

So he relaxes into the cushions, his back still to the Alpha and then he moves back against Thomas’ body.

The Alpha’s breath hitches and Robert can feel his erection pressing against his ass. “Robert, what are you doing?”

“It’s alright,” Robert tells him and he sounds a lot more confident than he actually feels. “You need to take the edge off and who knows, maybe you grinding against me will help a bit?” 

Thomas groans and the sound sends a pleasant shiver down Robert’s spine. “It’s helping way too much.”

Robert smiles while moving his ass back again and the heavy smell of the aroused Alpha intensifies.

“Robert, please stop. If we continue doing this, I won’t be able to control myself any longer.”

“I don’t want you to stop,” Robert confesses in a quiet voice, then he turns around to face the Alpha, hoping to convey all the words he can’t say, through his eyes. “I want to help you. And if allowing you to take me is the only way then please do it.”

Thomas stares at him wide-eyed. “But what about Marco?”

Robert swallows at the mention of the other Alpha’s name. “He loves me and of course he will be upset. But you are my mate and I’m the only one who can help you make it through your rut. Deep down Marco understands that and I’m certain he will forgive me for helping my mate.”

Robert isn't sure if it will be that easy, considering how Marco reacted all the previous times that he and Thomas have got close. But Thomas needs him right now and Robert would rather die than let him down.

He brings up his hand to Thomas' neck and pulls him down until their lips meet and they're finally kissing. Robert melts into it immediately, the feeling of his mate's lips drowning out all of his concerns.

Thomas pulls back slightly and he looks down at Robert with a pained expression. “Robert, please, I can't do this.”

Robert ignores the sting of these words, refusing to acknowledge that Thomas doesn't want him. Instead he reminds himself that this isn't about him, this is about helping the Alpha through his rut.  
“Let go, Thomas,” he whispers to the Alpha above him, taking note of the red sparkle in his eyes. He's close to losing the fight against his instincts. Robert strokes the younger man's cheek softly before adding, “Show me that I was right in choosing you as my mate.”

His words drown out the last remnants of blue in Thomas' eyes, glowing red overtaking them as he presses his lips against the Omega's once again. Finally he opens his mouth to claim Robert as his and the Omega pulls him even closer until there is no more distance between them.

Robert only tears away when he is running out of air and he tugs impatiently at Thomas’ pair of trousers. The Alpha complies immediately, getting rid of his last item of clothing while Robert pulls his shirt over his head. He barely has time to throw it to the side when the Alpha is back over him, licking over the newly exposed skin of the older man’s body hungrily.

When Thomas reaches his throat, the Omega holds his breath in anticipation, hoping against better judgement that Thomas has changed his mind and will mark him. Thomas slows down, taking his time to lick over Robert’s pulse point as though he’s hesitating if he should really do this.

Robert opens his eyes and turns his head to look at the Alpha. “Thomas, please.”

Thomas meets his gaze, his iris entirely red and Robert knows this is his best shot. Because Thomas is too gone to think reasonably, it has come down to an Alpha in rut facing a willing Omega.

Thomas smiles reassuringly and Robert feels his lips quirk upwards at the beautiful sight until he hears the Alpha’s next words. “I’m not going to complete the mating bond.”

Robert closes his eyes to keep himself from crying. Why did he expect anything else? Thomas didn’t want him when he was in heat and every other Alpha was more than willing to tear his clothes off. Just because he’s having a rut, doesn’t change anything about his feelings; the fact that he doesn’t want Robert as his mate. And why would he anyway? Robert already has an Alpha, of course Thomas doesn’t want to go through the trouble of fighting for his mate.

“Robert?” Thomas asks tentatively, his concerned voice cutting through the fog of self-doubt clouding Robert’s mind. “I know you said you wanted to help me through my rut. But just because you bit me, doesn’t mean you’re obligated to do anything.”

Robert knows he should take the offer and leave. Because if he stays and lets Thomas take him, he will be left broken-hearted. Not to mention how Marco will take it…

But then Robert remembers that this is no ordinary rut. He was the one to cause it and it would be cruel and selfish to let Thomas pay for his mistakes – possibly even with his death. 

So he brings up his hand to the Alpha’s face, imagining that he - not the rut - is the reason for the glowing red eyes staring down at him. His fingers ghost lightly over the side of Thomas’ face, his fingers tracing the curve of the Alpha’s lips and trying to savor every little detail of the man he has fallen in love with. The man he has marked as his. 

His hand drops to the mating bite, noting how bad it looks as though it is infected. “I’m sorry about this,” he whispers, hoping Thomas will forgive him for all the trouble he has caused by marking him without his consent.

The Alpha’s eyes harden and Robert briefly wonders if he has done something wrong when the younger man sits up on his knees. Robert suppresses a shiver at the coldness filling him at the sudden distance. “What are you doing?”

“I’m not going to force you into sleeping with me, no matter how much I love you.” 

Robert’s heart skips a beat, his eyes widening in shock because Thomas certainly didn’t say that out loud. His vision is spinning, his heart reveling in the words it had always wanted to hear while also trying to reject them.

“Robert?” a worried Thomas asks once again.

“What did you just say?” Robert whispers in a hoarse voice.

Thomas frowns. “That I won’t force you to do anything.”

Robert shakes his head impatiently. “No, the other thing.”

After a short hesitation, Thomas replies, “That I love you.”

Robert stares up at Thomas, struggling to believe the words he has longed to hear. Because they just cannot be true. “You love me?”

For a tiny moment fear flashes over the younger man's face, then he nods. “I've been trying to fight it, but I'm not strong enough. So the answer is yes, I love you.”

Robert feels a joyful smile tugging at his lips, his worries vanishing instantly and being replaced by anticipation of what they are about to do: Completing the bond to finally become mates.

“Then show me,” he demands and he has barely got these three words out when Thomas closes the gap between them, his lips sealing Robert's in a devouring kiss. Thomas' tongue enters the Omega's mouth instantly, but Robert fights back with everything he has got, not ready to give in just like that. Just when the Alpha has won that little fight of dominance, Robert manages to turn them around until he is lying on top, grinding his naked body against Thomas', enjoying the feel of his mate underneath him.

“Make me yours, Thomas, please!”

The Alpha lets out a loud growl and he surges upwards to kiss him more forcefully, almost violently and Robert loves it, loves that Thomas doesn’t hold back the slightest. Everything else would have been an insult.

He lets Thomas reverse their positions once again and he feels his own slick between his cheeks, the visible proof that he is more than ready for his mate to finally take him. Thomas groans as he inhales the sweet smell and his hips begin to rock against the Omega’s body instinctively.

“I need to feel you, Robert!” His voice is nothing but a pleading whisper and he sounds so vulnerable now. “Let me take you, please!”

“I’m yours, Thomas,” Robert responds before moving his head to the side of the Alpha’s throat, his lips gently sucking the spot where he already laid claim on the younger man. 

Thomas gasps at the touch and the sound turns into a long howl when Robert bites down on the already abused skin, renewing the mark that shows the world that this Alpha belongs to him. The action seems to destroy the last bits of self-control that Thomas possessed at this point, because he lifts Robert’s thighs up instantly, his fingers digging hard into the muscles of the older man’s legs and then the Alpha pushes into him without warning.

There’s no pain for the Omega because he has been craving for this too long already, for Thomas to be inside of him. Before he has even had time to fully comprehend that this is finally happening, Thomas has pulled almost all the way out before thrusting into him again, burying himself even deeper in the heat of his Omega. After a few thrusts they set up a rhythm as they begin to move in unison, driving each other closer to completion. 

Just when Robert can feel his orgasm approaching, Thomas hits that sweet spot inside of him with his cock and Robert tenses at the wave of too intense pleasure coursing through him, the steady rhythm of their bodies increasing as the Alpha manages to hit his prostate with each push. Robert is unable to form words, unable to do more than holding on to his mate above him and his hands tighten around the Alpha’s back, his fingernails leaving bloody scratches over his lover’s back.

Suddenly Thomas stills and Robert has just enough time to whine dissatisfied before Thomas once again pushes into him, this time even deeper than before and Robert screams as stars explode in front of his eyes and he comes all over their stomachs.

His whole body is still tingling, his vision slowly returning when he feels Thomas pulling out of him even though the Alpha has yet to reach his climax. For a short moment Robert is afraid that this is it, Thomas won’t complete the mating, but then Thomas drops his head to Robert’s abdomen and licks up the cum of the Omega. Robert shudders at the unexpected sensation and he pulls Thomas’ head up to kiss him again, tasting himself in the younger man’s mouth. When he breaks the kiss, he looks into the still bright red eyes of his Alpha, once again giving him the confirmation he seems to need. “Please take me, show the world that I belong to you.”

“I love you,” Thomas confesses once again, his lips latching onto Robert’s neck at the same time that he pushes into Robert again.

The Omega has tensed up in anticipation, waiting for Thomas to bite down and mark him. He’s not in heat, so Thomas entering Robert and hitting his prostate so shortly after his orgasm is more painful than the first time, but he loves it just the same. He loves to feel his mate’s unrestrained strength, the knowledge that he was the one making the Alpha lose control. He inhales the intoxicating scent of Thomas as he nuzzles the Alpha’s neck briefly before once again closing his mouth over the mating bite and this time Thomas is the one tensing up.

His thrusts are picking up speed, his teeth scraping over Robert’s throat and the Omega arches up to take him even deeper in the same moment that he feels Thomas knot growing inside of him. The Alpha manages to turn his head away from Robert’s throat right before he comes hard, filling the Omega with his seed. 

Robert holds him through his orgasm, the unmatched pride at feeling the Alpha inside of him tarnished by Thomas not having marked him.

He turns to look at the Alpha above him, noting that the red of his eyes is slowly fading away.

“You didn’t mark me,” he proposes and he’s so confused that it ends up sounding like a question.

Thomas smiles before gently moving them until they’re lying side by side, Robert’s ankles still hooked behind the younger man’s back to keep his cock inside of him. Robert lets it happen even though the new position is rather uncomfortable when they are still joined, unable to separate. But lying on their sides staring into each other’s eyes while Thomas is still buried deep within Robert feels more intimate.

Robert’s gaze drops to Thomas’ lips and he figures that he has to ask the Alpha this one important question, hoping that the only reason which keeps Thomas from completing the bond is because he’s trying to be considerate of the Omega’s feelings.

“Thomas, will you mark me? Will you make me yours?”

Thomas looks at him for a long moment before smiling sadly. “Don’t worry, Robert. I could never do that.”

And Robert’s heart bursts into a million pieces.

He closes his eyes to hide the tears in them because why did he even expect any thing else. The only reason Thomas wanted him was his rut. And Robert came here with the intention of helping him, nothing more because he knew Thomas didn’t want him and also because he had promised Marco that they wouldn’t complete the mating bond. And by managing to fool himself into thinking Thomas could truly want him, he almost broke that promise he made to his Alpha.

“You’re right, I got carried away there. It’s probably better this way.”

He doesn’t open his eyes to see the reaction in Thomas’ eyes, all he wants is to curl into himself and cry. But when he feels Thomas pulling him to his chest, he doesn’t fight it. The Alpha is still buried inside of him when Robert eventually falls asleep…

 

When Robert wakes up, he isn’t sure what exactly woke him. The events of the previous night return to him after a few seconds of feeling disorientated and when he blinks a few times to clear his vision, he can see his mate sleeping safe and sound with his arms still around him. Thomas must have fallen asleep at a later point than Robert because he managed to get up and put a soft black blanket over them, apparently unwilling to wake up the Omega who has been lying in top of the covers. Robert smiles fondly and he puts a soft peck to Thomas’ head, just when the reason for his awakening comes back to him. The memory of another promise he made yesterday.

… _I promise I’ll be back in the morning, so we can at least say goodbye…_

Robert freezes as he remembers what he told Marco. He looks around, noting the warms rays of sunlight shining through the windows and for a moment he has the small hope that Marco will have just left without waiting for him. 

But then he hears the ringing of the doorbell and he realizes in horror that the actual reason for his awakening must have been the sound of a familiar car pulling up in the driveway underneath the closest window.

Robert turns back to the sleeping man next to him, shaking his shoulder urgently. “Thomas, please wake up.”

The Alpha’s brow furrows and it takes him a few moments to open his eyes. “Robert, what’s wrong?”

Robert opens his mouth, but before he can say a word he hears Mats and Marco shouting at each other downstairs. He is sure Mats won’t spill what happened between Thomas and Robert, but it’s too late anyway. Marco wouldn’t have to take more than one step into this room before knowing what transpired between them.

“Stay here!” he orders Thomas in a low voice before standing up and quickly getting into his pair of jeans. After he has pulled his rumpled shirt over his head, he opens the door to face the blond Alpha before he will find them upstairs.

As soon as he has walked down the stairs, Marco tenses and when he turns to look at Robert, it’s hard to tell which of his emotions is stronger. Fury or relief. 

Robert feels his heart beating fast as he waits for Marco to speak and they stare at each other for a few long seconds.

“I was worried when you didn’t show up this morning.”

Robert swallows. “I’m sorry about that, I was still sleeping until you came here.”

“How is Thomas doing?” the Alpha asks. “Did your presence help him?” 

And Robert realizes that Marco isn’t close enough to pick up on the smell of Robert’s pleasure, all he must be able to notice is Thomas’ increased scent and he must be thinking that Robert took care of the Alpha in a similar way than Thomas did during his heat.

He takes a deep breath and takes the few steps separating him from the Alpha.

Marco frowns as his nose picks up on the changed scent in the air before he tenses, a growl coming from his throat. “Robert, what did you do?”

“He’s my mate, Marco.”

His eyes immediately drop to Robert’s throat, clearly checking if the bond has been completed. “Did he bite you?”

Robert meets his eyes and somehow the worried expression in them makes him fall apart completely. He can’t hold back the tears any longer when he shakes his head. “No. No, he didn’t.”

Marco’s arms are around him before he has even seen the blond move and he pulls him closer, trying to let the familiar scent comfort him.

He hears Marco inhale sharply and knows the Alpha has realized now that Thomas’ arousal isn’t the only scent clinging to the Omega since last night.  
Marco pulls back and looks at Robert with a carefully blank face, his red shimmering eyes the only thing betraying his emotions. “You said he didn’t bite you.”

Robert swallows. “He didn’t. But I still let him take me.”

The words echo loudly in the room and Robert is fully prepared for Marco to lash out at him. Mats is still standing behind Marco, his body alert and ready to intervene at any moment. 

But Marco merely raises his hand to Robert’s face, the tender gesture standing in stark contrast to the scary red color of his eyes. “He already rejected you once. How could you let him do that again?”

Robert leans into the Alpha’s touch though it does nothing to squish the longing in his chest. “He told me that he loved me and I believed him.”

Marco’s face darkens and Robert still thinks that the anger is directed at him until he hears the blond’s words. “I will make him pay for this.”

Robert barely has time to make sense of these words when Marco has already pushed him to the side – gentle enough not to hurt him but still firm enough to make him lose his balance. When Robert turns around, he sees that Thomas is standing at the stairway and his eyes are red as well.

Robert flinches when the two Alphas clash and then hit the ground with a loud thump, Marco being on top this time.

“Marco, Thomas, stop it!” Robert yells, but they are not listening to him anymore.

Thomas snarls angrily at the man above him before lashing out with his free hand as hard as he can. Marco yelps in pain as the younger man’s hand connects with his jaw and Robert wants to move forward to stop this madness, but Mats beats him to it.

The defender surges forward and grabs Marco’s arm to haul him off Thomas. “That’s enough, Marco! Robert isn’t your mate, you have no right to overreact like this.” 

Robert knows instantly that he has said the wrong thing. 

Marco bares his teeth angrily. “I have  _every_ right.” Then he hits Mats’ face so fast that it takes the tall Alpha by total surprise. His head snaps to the side and his body collides with the wall behind him. Mats stumbles to the ground instantly, his eyes momentarily unable to focus while he tries to keep himself upright with one hand on the wall. Robert’s eyes widen as he picks up on the faint scent of blood in the air and he reaches out for the tall Alpha.

“Mats, are you alright?”

The Alpha winces when Robert’s hand comes up to the back of his head and when the latter looks at his fingers, he can see fresh blood on them. Mats must have sustained a cut from the force of Marco’s punch.

“I’m fine,” the Alpha hisses in the same moment that there is a loud crash from behind them.

Robert hurls around to find Thomas pressing Marco firmly to the ground. “He marked me, Alpha, not you! You will let him go!”

“I won’t let you take him away from me!” Marco snarls and then he does something Robert – and also Thomas – would have never expected. He leans up and bites down on Thomas’ throat, right over the mating bite.

Thomas howls in pain as the Alpha buries his teeth into his skin and Robert winces in sympathy. When an Alpha is fighting for his mate or his own life, his bite is venomous and the burning pain must be excruciating.

Thomas tries to shake Marco off, but his movements only make it worse. Robert is barely aware that he has let go of Mats, all he can see is Thomas’ face contorted with pain. In the next moment he has pushed Marco away from his mate and pinned him to the ground face-first, his own mouth closing over the back of the blond’s neck.

“Robert?” Marco asks stunned and that’s when the older man realizes what he is doing. He’s holding his Alpha down; _his_ Alpha who was fighting for him like every right Alpha should. He looks up to see Mats still swaying on his feet with one hand pressed to the cut at the back of his neck. And then to Thomas on the ground, clutching his bleeding throat. And then back to the Alpha underneath him. “You have to stop.”

His voice is calm, too calm.

Marco hisses. “He claimed you.”

“He took me,” Robert corrects him. “I gave myself over to him, but he didn’t claim me. Or do you see a mating bite on my body?”

Marco stills when he understands what Robert is trying to say. “Why are you still protecting him after what he did?”

“Because this is my fault as much as his,” Robert replies before looking at Thomas. “He didn’t force me, there was no need to. But I should have remembered that this wasn’t two mates making love but an Omega helping an Alpha through his rut. It won’t happen again.”

He doesn’t know who is more hurt by these words, Thomas or Robert himself. But he tries to shove that thought away because the younger Alpha made it very clear that he will never see Robert as his mate. And Robert won’t make that mistake again either.

He gets off Marco’s back and waits until the blond is standing as well before saying the one thing that he has been afraid ever since he asked Thomas to take him. “I know I should have talked to you about this beforehand. And I would understand if you’re hurt by my betrayal.”

The red of Marco’s eyes finally dims down a bit. “Yes, you should have talked to me before you let Thomas claim you. But I’m not your mate, so I have no right to be truly angry with you.” 

Robert heaves a sigh of relief. “Thank you. And I will try to to be a better Omega to you and not let my foolish heart rule my thoughts again.”

Marco’s gaze softens and his eyes return to their usual amber-golden color. “I told you, you’re the best Omega one could ask for. And that you’re here now and tried to help your mate through his rut only proofs that.”

Robert wants to disagree, because by helping Thomas he hurt Marco - his Alpha – but he figures this can wait. His eyes flicker to the man bearing his mark again, the Alpha he has marked as his without consent. “I’m so sorry, Thomas. I hope one day you will forgive me for doing this to you.”

He doesn’t give his mate time to respond because he’s sure he couldn’t bear whatever it is he wants to say. Instead he turns to Marco. “Please take me back.”

Marco frowns. “Of course I am, I just told you I’m not angry with you.”

His words are like a balm to Robert’s aching heart, but that’s not what he meant. “Please take me back to Dortmund with you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't say these confessions from our boys wouldn't lead to more misunderstandings...


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm too early with the update (again), but I can't help it, I'm always so excited whenever I finish a chapter...  
> This chapter is mostly Thomas wallowing in self-pity and someone finally hitting him over the back of his head for being an idiot. ;)

 

 

It has barely been five days since Robert left him and Thomas’ rut is finally over. And it has definitely been the worst rut of his entire life, his body still feeling very weak and tired out. 

This is his first morning back in his own house after spending his whole rut at Mats’ place, but being home doesn’t bring him the comfort he has been hoping for. The house feels empty without his mate waiting for him and he hates it; hates that his mind, body and soul are craving for a man Thomas can never have, an Omega who belongs to another Alpha and has broken Thomas’ heart.

He had been hoping that Robert would choose him as his mate, especially after he gave himself over to Thomas, letting the Alpha take him like only lovers could. For one blissful night Thomas had believed he had found his mate, that the only problem left to solve was how to break it to Marco and then Thomas could finally lay his claim on the Omega, marking him as his for the entire world to see. And it shouldn’t have been so hard, because Marco and Robert are not mated and after Robert’s heat three years ago they have been aware that this arrangement wouldn’t be forever, that their relationship would end once one of them found his mate. 

Thomas forgot that a lot of things have changed in these three years, especially since Marco came to Munich and helped Robert through his heat. Thomas has no idea why they parted ways in the first place – perhaps Marco was upset about Robert’s transfer to their rival club – but they seem to have rekindled and are both willing to not only start over, but also take their relationship to another level. 

Moving in together, becoming mates, adopting kids. Robert is finally getting everything he ever wanted from Marco.

How could Thomas forget that? How could he think that Robert helping him through his rut would change anything? 

He saw the regret in the Omega’s eyes when he looked at the mating bite on Thomas’ throat, he heard Robert’s apology and that was the moment Thomas realized that Robert didn’t want to be his mate. He had mistaken the Omega’s kindness as love. And Robert had even told him that there was only one reason he allowed Thomas to take him.

…“ _You are my mate and I’m the only one who can help you make it through your rut. Deep down Marco understands that and I’m certain he will forgive me for helping my mate.”…_

And Robert was right, Marco forgave him indeed. At first Thomas was wondering about that, how Marco could accept such a betrayal from his lover. 

But now Thomas understands why. Because he is no match to the other Alpha, Robert will always love Marco and  _only_ Marco. He may have given his body to the man he accidentally marked as his mate during his heat, but his heart belongs to Marco.

So Thomas shouldn’t have been so crushed by the words that followed his realization; Robert asking Marco to take him home. To Dortmund where Marco was, not Munich where Thomas was. 

And now Robert is gone and the only thing Thomas is left with is the deep mark on his throat; a mark that should be a proof of his mate’s love for him but has become a proof of Marco’s superiority instead.

Thomas stops in front of the mirror in his bathroom, his reflection staring back at him with dull eyes. The mating bite on his throat is barely recognizable as such anymore; not after Marco’s teeth ripped the flesh of the wound. It has been five days and the wound still hasn’t healed the slightest. It is throbbing painfully and Thomas wonders if it’s still an aftermath of the other Alpha’s bite or if it simply craving for completion. Probably both.

He raises his hand to touch the deep wound, his fingers trailing absentmindedly over the imprints of Robert’s teeth - clearly recognizable from the times he has bit the same spot with utmost care – then over those from Marco’s teeth which are harder to distinguish because Thomas desperately tried to shake him off. At the moment he isn’t sure whose bite he minds more…

He tears his gaze away from the mirror and reaches for his training bag to finally join his teammates for the first time since his rut started. He’s already dreading the looks they will give him and the questions he will have to answer…

An hour later at least the questions still haven’t come. Everyone is looking at him pitifully, but no one addresses the issue, so obviously they know. The confirmation comes from their coach Carlo who is pointedly ignoring Thomas, apparently upset that he is the reason for the absence of the team’s top striker.

Thomas gives Manuel who is jogging at his side, a thoughtful look. “How long will Robert be gone?”

The blond shrugs. “Carlo only said he would be gone for a while; one week, maybe two. I think Robert doesn’t even know himself when he will be ready to come back.”

Instead of Thomas Philipp responds from Manuel’s other side. “I don’t think it really matters, considering he and Marco will be mated soon.”

His words make Thomas falter in his steps and he stares at his Omega with wide eyes. “What do you mean it doesn’t matter?”

Philipp shrugs, but his eyes are cold and Thomas gets the impression that his friend is mad at him. “Obviously Robert will transfer back to Dortmund, so he can spend as much time with Marco as possible. The new season hasn’t even started and the transfer window is still open, so perhaps he’s in talks to leave us this month already.”

Thomas swallows hard. “He said he would be leaving next summer.”

“Yes, that’s what he said before you and Marco almost killed each other.”

Thomas frowns. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Why do you think he asked Marco to take him back to Dortmund right away?” 

“Because he wanted to be with his mate?” Thomas proposes.

Philipp snorts. “Yes, maybe. Or he wanted to prevent the two of you from hurting each other even more. And by going to Dortmund, he ensured you and Marco wouldn’t see each other until he is mated to Marco.”

His explanation only confuses Thomas even more. “I don’t see your point. That’s the same thing I just said as well.”

“No, it’s not,” Philipp argues and his patience is gone, he sounds actually annoyed. “You think he _wants_ to get mated to Marco. I think he feels like he _has_ to get mated to him. There’s a difference.”

“Philipp, I don’t think you understand. Robert has been in love with Marco for three years, I bet he has had enough time to think about this.”

“Oh yes, clearly!” Philipp spats in a mocking voice. “Of course he has got to be sure, that’s why marked _you_ and not Marco.”

Thomas growls. “He was in heat when he did that.”

But Philipp doesn’t seem to have heard him. “Not to mention that he told you he loves you.”

“He was in heat!” Thomas repeats and he is shouting so loud now that their team mates have grouped around him with worried expressions.

“You know, Thomas, I’m an Omega too, so I’ve had my fair share of heats. And I’ve had quite a few Alphas that helped me through them before I finally found Manu.” There’s a disapproving growl coming from the blond Alpha, but one warning look from Philipp silences him. “How often do you think I declared my love to one of them or even worse, marked them?!” 

Thomas bites his lip because Philipp’s words are making sense and he hates to feel false hope blooming in his chest once again. “Let’s say you’re right and Robert meant everything he said and did. Then why didn’t he ask Marco to let him go, so he could be with me?”

“Well, I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t remember you giving him much reason to make him believe that you love him as well.”

Thomas thinks he must have misheard the older man. “I told him how I felt, right before I made love to him!”

“Yes, you told him that you love him. During your rut when you were clouded by lust. And if he’s only half as dense as you, he probably thinks that doesn’t count. Especially considering you had told him before that you regretted everything that happened right after he bit you.”

“Philipp, I made him mark me!” Thomas retorts vehemently and he can see Manuel twitching at the rude tone with which he’s speaking to the Omega. “I made him cheat on Marco! Of course I regret that!”

“And did you tell him your reason in the exact same words that you just told me?” Philipps asks with a raised eyebrow.

Thomas opens his mouth, but no words come out. Because he finally gets what Philipp has been trying to say all along. Perhaps Robert misunderstood his intentions and didn’t ask him to leave because he was horrified by what they did. Perhaps he did so because he thought Thomas regretted having helped him.

And if that’s true, it was perhaps the start of some more misunderstandings between them. The final one being his refusal to mark Robert during his rut…

“God, I’m such an idiot!” Thomas whispers. “I thought I was doing the right thing by not getting between Robert and Marco.”

Philipp sighs. “Well, you did everything wrong, but at least it was for the right reasons.”

“I need to go to Dortmund and apologize to him,” Thomas says and without waiting for an answer he turns around and walks away from his teammates.

When he passes Carlo, he hears his coach calling after him. “Thomas, where do you think you’re you going? Training has just started.”

Thomas turns back with a grim expression. “I’m bringing Robert back here. If he still wants me.”

“Good,” Carlo responds with a small smile playing on his lips. “I was afraid your stubbornness would cost this team one of its best players.”

But Thomas barely hears his words, he is already on his way to the locker. After he has changed his clothes in record time, he gets into his car and drives; the hours feeling like years to him.

By the time he has reached the training ground of Borussia Dortmund, it is already afternoon. 

Thomas lets his gaze wander over the players and his heart sinks when he can’t spot either Marco or Robert anywhere, though he should have suspected as much. Robert is still a Bayern player and Marco hasn’t even started training due to his injury from a few months prior.

Thomas wants to turn back to his car, glad that no one of the Dortmund players has spotted him standing at the sidelines because he’s really not in a talkative mood right now. But he stops short when he finds himself face to face with a man. And not just any man…

Thomas grits his teeth as he fails to suppress his anger, but he manages to get a greeting out. “Hello, Erik.”

The Beta raises his eyebrows amusedly. “Alright, Thomas, I hope you have a very good explanation for being here. And why you’re being so anxious.”

“I’m not anxious!” Thomas argues.

Erik chuckles, but doesn’t argue. “So why are you here?”

“I don’t have the time or the patience to explain this right now, Erik,” Thomas says as politely as he can manage while he is busy stomping down the images of the Beta pushing _his_ Omega up against the tiled wall of a shower, shivers of pleasure wrecking their bodies while their groans fill the room…

A dark growl escapes him and Erik’s nostrils flare when he picks up on the change in the Alpha’s scent. “Thomas, what’s the matter with you?”

Thomas shakes his head in an attempt to keep himself together because he is going crazy with worry and panic. “Marco is at home, isn’t he?”

Erik gives him a curious look. “Why are you so interested in Marco all of a sudden?”

“I need to talk to him and set a few things straight before it is too late.” Thomas responds before pulling down the collar of his jacket to reveal the mark on his throat. 

Erik stares at it with wide eyes as though he’s seeing a ghost. “That’s a mating bite.” Hesitantly he reaches out and touches it gently. “Why is it in such a bad state?”

“The mating bond isn’t completed. And then I had a fight with Marco and he bit me.”

Erik winces in sympathy. “That sounds horrible. I’ve heard what damage an Alpha’s bite can cause. But why was Marco so angry that he would do something like this? He’s not exactly a violent person.”

Thomas bites his lip, but he knows if he wants answers from Erik, he will have to give answers of his own in return. “I slept with Robert.”

Erik freezes, his eyes snapping up from the wound to the Alpha’s eyes. “You did what?!”

Thomas drops his head, “That’s why I’m here now. To talk to both of them and if they are willing to forgive me for being a stupid idiot, I’d like to do what I should have done much sooner. Completing the mating bond.”

Erik swallows. “Thomas, I don’t know for sure, but you may be too late already.” 

Thomas pales. “What do you mean?”

“Marco hasn’t attended any training session in the six days since his return,” Erik explains and then his eyes soften when a sad smile appears on his face. “Because he wants to do what _he_ should have done three years ago.”

He doesn’t have to elaborate, Thomas finally gets what the Beta means. “Marking his Omega as his mate.”

Erik nods. “I’m sorry, Thomas.”

Thomas can’t respond, he feels like he’s dying. The thought that he might be too late and Robert and Marco are mated only because he was a fool suffocates him.

“Thomas?” Erik asks with worry evident in his voice and he grabs the Alpha by the shoulders. The firm touch snaps Thomas out of his spiraling thoughts and he focuses on the Beta in front of him. “Listen, that’s just what Marco told us. I didn’t say they are mated already. Maybe you still have a chance and can stop them.”

Thomas realizes that Erik may be right. It’s only been a few days since Robert and Marco left Munich in a hurry, both of them upset about the whole situation for their own reasons. Marco has proven time and again that he is a very considerate Alpha, so it seems unlikely that he let either of them make such an important decision when they can’t think straight.

“Thank you, Erik!” he tells the Beta and without waiting for a response, he turns around and runs back to his car.

He’s going to make it in time, he’s going to stop them, he keeps telling himself until he has reached Marco’s house. When he is standing at the front door and ringing the bell, his body is trembling with panic and he can only imagine the smell of distressed Alpha that must be surrounding him like a cloud. 

His anxiousness only gets worse when nobody opens up even though one look at the driveway tells him that Marco’s car is parked there, so the Alpha has got to be home.

“Marco, goddammit, open up or I’ll break the door down!” he shouts in a shrill voice, refusing to think why neither Marco nor Robert are apparently unable to answer the door. 

Just when he thinks he really has to make good on his promise, the door opens and he comes face to face with the man he is here for.

“Thomas, what are you doing here?” Robert asks with wide eyes and it’s hard to tell whether he’s relieved or angry.

But Thomas could care less because all that matters right now is the sight of his Omega with his throat still unmarred. “Robert, thank God!” 

He surges forward and pulls the older man into a firm hug, burying his nose in the crook of Robert’s neck and inhaling his scent. Thomas is so relieved to have made it in time that he doesn’t even think about Marco’s amplified smell clinging to Robert.

But then Robert pulls back and he looks afraid. “Thomas, you can’t be here right now. You’re interrupting the mating process.”

“That’s exactly what I’m here for,” Thomas argues, but before he can go on, there’s a disapproving growl coming from the stairs behind them. 

Thomas looks up to find a very naked Marco standing there, watching the scene with a dark scowl. But it’s not his state of undress, the insults he is shouting or the deep red eyes that draw Thomas’ attention. 

No, the thing that makes his heart stop is the still bleeding bite wound at the side of his throat.

Thomas can’t breathe anymore, a loud drumming filling his ears and he can’t see anything except for the bite that has not been there before; that shouldn’t be there.

It’s over. Thomas has been too late, Robert has made his choice, he wants to be with Marco.  _It’s over._

Thomas’ legs give out from under him and he is swallowed by darkness before he has even hit the ground.

_It’s over…_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Thomas. :(  
> Just one little chapter left to wrap up this story, so there's not much happening anymore...


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it, the final chapter of 'Breathe Into Me'. I'm going to miss this story so much... :(  
> I'm aware that a lof of may be very upset after reading this chapter, because all of the build-up has been for nothing and there was a chance for these two anyway. I'm fully prepared for you to feel betrayed after this end to the story...

 

… _Cerulean eyes looking up at him lovingly, then the Omega pulls him in for a kiss before whispering, “I love you.” Thomas' heart breaks ...  
… Cerulean eyes looking down at him regretfully before telling him, “_ _I’m so sorry, Thomas. I hope one day you will forgive me for doing this to you.” Thomas heart breaks …  
… Cerulean eyes __staring up at him as he makes love to the man underneath him. Thomas' heart sings..._  
_… Cerulean eyes closing as the Omega comes hard in the Alpha's mouth. Thomas' heart sings..._  
_… Cerulean eyes looking at him worriedly before Thomas' eyes meet amber-golden for a brief moment. Then he looks down to the other Alpha's throat, his vision filling with crimson against pale skin.Thomas' heart breaks..._

The memories are fading away, hidden by a dark fog and Thomas realizes he is waking up. But he isn't willing to do so, not yet, not ever. So he tries to hold on the memory of his Omega's warm body next to his, his sweet scent surrounding him and giving him the comfort that he needs right now. It is easier than he would have thought. His mind is numb from pain and sorrow, but he has still managed to fool himself into thinking that he's lying in a bed next to his sleeping mate, his body the only source of warmth in the slightly chilly room. Every time Thomas takes a breath, his nose is filled with his Omega's intoxicating smell and he has to marvel at the accuracy of it all, how his mind could make something like this up. But he's certainly not going to complain. As long as it keeps him from facing the bitter truth...

“Thomas?”

God, even his voice sounds so real. Thomas can easily picture the worry in those bright eyes and even worse, his illusion is so convincing that a shiver runs down his spine when he feels fingers stroking over his forehead softly.

He knows it's not real, but he still can't keep himself from whining needily.

“Thomas?” the voice repeats in a velvet-like voice. “Can you hear me?”

He's too tired to resist, he just can't fight this any longer. He may be enjoying it now, but once he has allowed reality back in, it would only hurt more.

So he reluctantly opens his eyes. Or at least he thinks that's what he is doing.

But his vision is filled by cerulean, so he's clearly not awake yet.

“He's waking up!” the illusion shouts over his shoulder, but Thomas barely realizes it. He wouldn't care anyway.

He never wants this dream to end...

Carefully he reaches out for the face hovering above him, his fingers memorizing the defined jawline before moving down to the vulnerable skin of his throat and he frowns. “You're my mate, why don't you bear my mark?”

“Because you never marked me,” the illusion tells him with a resigned look. “And I'm not a dream, I'm really here.”

Thomas blinks a few times as he tries to wake up further and when he does, he realizes he's lying in a hospital bed, Robert curled up at his side. And they are not alone. On two chairs beside them are Marco and Erik, both of them looking relieved. Why would they look relieved?

“What happened?” he asks in a hoarse voice.

Robert looks at him worriedly. “You collapsed at Marco's house, remember?”

Thomas instantly wishes he didn't when the memories return and he begins to shiver as he fails to shove the image of Marco's mating bite away. A low whine escapes him and suddenly Robert has pulled him to his chest, rocking him soothingly.

The door of the room opens all of a sudden and Mario comes in, trying to juggle four coffees in his hands. He hands two to Marco, then one to Erik before plopping down next to the latter on the large chair.

Thomas gives him a curious look. “Are there are any other Dortmund players hiding in here?”

Mario shakes his head. “No, but I'm sure some of your teammates will be here soon. We tried calming them down, but Philipp, Manu and Mats were insisting on visiting you, so they will show up soon, I guess.”

“Why am in a hospital anyway?” Thomas asks before quickly glancing to the body he is currently clutching. His eyes shift to Marco then, but the blond doesn't look angry that his mate is holding another Alpha in his arms. “And why is Robert cuddling me?” It is Robert who answers him. “You scared the hell out of us and only after we called Philipp, could we make sense of your sudden breakdown. Erik here filled in the rest and the doctors concluded that you're suffering from a broken mating bond. At least that's what your mind was thinking when it saw Marco's mating bite. The doctors said my proximity would be able to help, so that's why I've been lying beside you for eighteen hours now.”

Thomas' eyes widen in disbelief. “I was out for eighteen hours?!”

Robert nods, just when Erik speaks up. “Thomas, I need to apologize. If I had known what would happen, I wouldn't have said anything about the mating process.”

Thomas looks at the Beta, knowing he can't possibly blame the Beta for what's happened. “No, it's better this way. I needed to know sooner rather than later.”

Erik doesn't look relieved though, merely troubled. “You still don't understand, do you? I got it the wrong way; the only reason I told you about it, was because I thought you wanted to mate with Marco.”

Thomas is so surprised that it takes him a few seconds until he can respond to that ridiculous admission. “With Marco? Are you out of your mind?”

“What was I supposed to think? You came here, asking about him and then you showed me your mating bite and told me that Marco bit you. Obviously I couldn't believe it at first because you are two Alphas and I have no idea how this even works, but suddenly it was all starting to make sense. Why Marco had disappeared to Munich for an entire week. At first I thought something had happened to Robert, but then they come back, both of them deeply upset and after years of denying such a relationship Marco wants to mate all of a sudden. And a few days later you come here with Marco's bite mark and you talk about apologizing to them both, so I thought something happened between you and Marco.”

After his explanation the room is entirely silent, everyone awaiting Thomas' reaction. The Alpha has to admit that he sees Erik's point, in theory all of this would make sense. “So you thought Marco came to Munich when he heard that there might be something going on between me and Robert to protect his Omega? And that he somehow fell in love with me afterwards?”

Erik looks deeply uncomfortable. “I feel so ridiculous now that I know the truth, but after Marco came back, he was so upset and locked himself in his house for days and then you appear all of a sudden with a mating bite, admitting that Marco bit you...”

Thomas nods as he realizes he should have perhaps mentioned that Marco only bit Thomas after he had got a mating bite from an Omega. “Alright, I get your point. But it doesn't make a difference if I came here for Robert or Marco, either way I'm too late. They already started the mating process.”

Marco sighs. “You know, if you had just told Erik that you were here for Robert, you could have saved us a lot of drama.”

“I don't understand,” Thomas replies confused.

Marco rolls his eyes. “How Robert could fall in love with such a dense idiot, is a mystery to me.” The small smile on his lips takes the edge off his words though. “Since you always seem to misunderstand the things people are saying, allow me to show you.” He gives a little nod to the Omega at Thomas' side and Robert rolls over and gets off the bed immediately. Thomas feels cold at the loss, but then Marco takes the free spot, stretching out alongside Thomas before leaning closer. For a very brief moment Thomas thinks Marco is going to kiss him, but instead the blond tilts his head back, exposing the mark on his throat.

Thomas is irritated by the action. “What do you want me to do? Bite you, so we're even?”

Marco chuckles amusedly. “If you think I will ever let you bite me without putting up a fight, then you're mistaken. I'm still an Alpha, you know.”

“Then what-” Thomas doesn't get to finish his sentence when Marco's hand grabs the back of his head and pulls him closer until he's barely an inch away from the Alpha's throat. And when Thomas takes his next breath, he finally realizes what Marco was trying to show him. Because traces of the sweet Omega scent still cling to the wound, yet it isn't the one Thomas had suspected. “That's not Robert's scent.”

“Of course not,” Mario interrupts him and Thomas raises his eyes to look at the younger man who is still sitting at the end of the bed. “It's mine.”

Thomas stares at him with wide eyes. “What?!”

“I had just marked Marco when you showed up at the door, demanding to be let in. And since Marco and I were kind of busy, Robert who was doing his best to take care of both of us, making sure we had enough food and water, had to open the door. But Marco was worried about him when he heard that it was you, so he came down to check on Robert.”

Thomas feels like his head is spinning. “But none of this makes any sense. If Marco was together with you, why would he have come to help Robert through his heat in the first place?”

Mario's gentle smile widens which only makes Thomas more anxious. How can Mario be so calm about this? Marco spent a heat with another Omega!

“I know that Robert has been in love with Marco for a long time and Marco was honest with me right from the start. Even when we were merely friends, he told me that he had developed feelings for Robert after they had spent his heat together. It was very obvious anyway; everyone could see that he was getting very possessive of Robert. That went on for half a year and all the while I was wondering what was keeping them apart, why they wouldn't confront the other about it. So I eventually asked Robert.”

He turns his gaze to the other Omega in the room who takes over then.  
“Thomas, you know that I didn't tell Marco how I felt about him even though I was sure he would have been willing to be my lover at least. The reason is Mario. I knew that Marco was falling for him and they were meant to be together, they just didn't know it themselves yet. And I didn't want to stand between them, so I kept my feelings to myself.”

A melancholy expression appears on his face and without thinking Thomas reaches out for him, glad when Robert takes his hand immediately. “When Mario asked me why I was keeping my distance to Marco; why he was behaving like my Alpha and I like his Omega without the two of us getting intimate again, I told him about our arrangement. That we loved each other, but we were not actual lovers because we knew we wouldn't work as mates.”

This time Marco is the one to interrupt him. “That's what _you_ said; I on the other hand am still convinced that you and I would have been a great couple. But I didn't really understand your reasons for not wanting me as your mate, not at first.” Marco looks thoughtful now as he turns towards Thomas. “And Robert was my Omega, so I rejected the idea of ever letting somebody else in; someone who would become even more important to me than Robert was.”

Thomas frowns. “What changed your mind?”

The blond Alpha ducks his head sheepishly. “Robert set me up. He and Mario had got close friends and just a few days before Mario was supposed to have his next heat, he invited both of us into his apartment without telling us that the other would be there.”

Robert snorts. “Well, someone was supposed to do it. Everybody could see that you two belonged together and I was tired of being your excuse not to tell Mario that you loved him.”

Marco looks like he wants to protest before thinking better of it. “Anyway, I'm sure the rest is easy to imagine. Mario went into heat the moment I walked through the door and then we were all over each other. And since that day two and a half years ago we have been together. But I wasn't very thrilled with the whole mating bond thing, of committing myself to one person for the rest of my life. Mario said he was willing to wait until I was ready, but I didn't realize what kept me from taking that final step.” His gaze lands on Robert. “Until Robert called. He had distanced himself from me after I got together with Mario, but I didn't realize until I came to Munich that he was the reason why I couldn't mate with Mario. Because I needed his consent to make Mario my mate. That was his right as my Omega. I needed to know that I wasn't going to break Robert's heart by binding myself to Mario.” A soft sparkle appears in Marco's eyes as he regards Robert with a proud smile. “But when I told him during his heat that I was finally ready to settle down and perhaps even adopt kids – because obviously Mario becoming pregnant would have messed up his football career - Robert was happy for me. He even agreed to come to Dortmund next summer, so he would get to see the new house and maybe even the kid that we will hopefully have adopted by then. So when we returned to Dortmund, I instantly called Mario to let him know that I'm finally ready to become his.” He smiles fondly at Mario. “Only a hand full of people knew about us, but now I can't wait for the world to see that we're a couple. That we are mates.”

Thomas is at a loss of words as he tries to digest this information. After a few seconds when he has come to terms with arranging all these pieces of the puzzle, he asks Mario the one thing that he still can't get his head around.  
“But how could you let him do that to you? Leaving you behind to spend a whole heat with another Omega. How could you live with that betrayal?”

Mario frowns. “There was never a betrayal, not for me. Robert was Marco's first love and there was never a hint of doubt for me that I would let Marco go and help him. Robert has never been a threat to me, quite the contrary. Without him Marco and I wouldn't be together now.”

Marco adds, “Robert may not be my mate, but he is still my Omega and I his Alpha. He may have distanced himself from me after I got together with Mario, but even then we still belonged together. And it is hard for me to let him go; to let go of my right to be there for him. I was convinced that you only took advantage of him, first during his heat and then during your rut. I would have let Robert go if he asked me to, but that never happened. I know that's no excuse and I'm truly sorry for the hurt I've caused you. I know now that your feelings for him run deeper than I thought. I've always believed there would never be someone who Robert loved as much as he loved me. But I was wrong. He already saw you as his true mate when you took care of him during his heat. That's why he bit you so soon. Because a part of him knew that you were the one. I lost my right to interfere the moment he marked you and I'm sorry for being to selfish to see that. You have proven yourself a worthy mate to my Omega long before I was aware of it.”

Thomas believes him, but he still doesn't understand. Then he feels Robert approaching the bed and sitting down at the edge of the bed that is not currently occupied by Marco. “Thomas, what exactly do you think Marco and I have been doing during my heat?”  
Thomas sighs unhappily. “Don't ask questions like that. I don't want to imagine how many times you begged for his knot, how many times he came inside of you.”

He freezes when he hears Robert's furious snarl. “And you think I could do that? Sleep with a man who I know belongs to another? Just how much of a bitch do you think I am?” Robert sounds beyond pissed off.

Thomas feels like he has been hit in the face. “Are you seriously trying to tell me that nothing happened between you and Marco?”

If looks could kill, Thomas supposes he would be dead by now. Robert only scowls darkly at him, so it is Marco who answers him.

“Thomas, I haven't slept with Robert since that heat three years ago. Of course I came to help Robert through this one when he called me, but I didn't do more than jerk him off and let him fall asleep in my arms. Obviously that's not enough, but it took the edge off his heat and make the pain bearable.”

Thomas leans back into his pillow, his mind spinning from all these latest relevations as he realizes he has worried about vanities. “God, I feel like the stupidest man on the entire planet.”

Robert chuckles softly before stretching out right next to him, his wonderful scent soothing Thomas like nothing else could. “I haven't been much better either. If I had known how gravely you misinterpreted practically everything, I would have explained all of this a lot sooner. But I thought you didn't want me and were upset about me marking you.”

Thomas turns towards him. “Never think that again. I wanted you to be mine even before I took care of you. I think a part of me saw you as my mate the moment I first saw you with Marco.”

He can see that Robert is thinking of the same incident that he has been wondering about. “When I sent you away for hurting him.”

“I was so crushed, so broken-hearted yet I had to obey. Because my mate asked me to and I couldn't disappoint you again.”

Robert sighs. “Now everything sounds so easy, as though we should have seen it right from the start. I can't believe what mess we got ourselves into instead. I'm sorry for all the pain that I caused you.” As to undermine his words, he nuzzles Thomas' threat in search of forgiveness, his tongue darting out to lick over the wound of the mating bite. Thomas shivers at the sensation and he can't believe that he's getting hard from just that. In the hospital. While Marco is lying at the other side watching him closely. Spectacular timing...

“Robert, if you don't want me to take you while your friends are watching, then you should stop doing that.”

Robert breaks into laughter and Thomas swears that sound is the most beautiful thing he has ever heard. After a few seconds he sobers and regards the Alpha carefully. “Do you still want me as your mate even after everything I've put you through?”

Thomas reaches out towards his face, watching as Robert leans into the touch immediately. “Of course I do. And I thought we already settled that we're both to blame for this chaos. It is my fault as much as yours.”

Robert accepts that with a nod before he turns to the blond Alpha beside Thomas. “I love him, Marco. More than I have ever loved someone in my entire life, even more than you. Are you upset about that?”

Thomas watches the interaction closely, watches how Marco sits up and Robert does the same, both of them staring at each other from each of Thomas' sides. Then the Alpha tilts his head to the side, exposing his throat to the Omega. “No, not anymore. I may be your Alpha, but that still gave me no right to be so possessive towards you. You told me you loved Thomas and instead of trying to protect you from him, I should have trusted you. I'm sorry for failing you. Again.” He sounds deeply regretful, clearly waiting for Robert to react similarly like he had reacted to Mats' submission.

Thomas however isn't surprised when Robert merely reaches out to make Marco look at him again. “You never failed me. You're are the best Alpha I could have ever asked for and I'm glad to have you.”

Then Robert leans forward and seals Marco's lips with his own. Thomas watches it happen with a soft smile and when they part he can see Mario on the end of the bed wearing a similar expression.

They both don't have a reason to be jealous; both Robert and Marco wouldn't be who they are now without each other.

As the former lovers part, Marco turns to Thomas with a challenging expression. “You will take good care of him.” It's nothing but an order yet for once Thomas can't be offended by an Alpha using that tone on him. “You may be his mate, but Robert will always be my Omega. So if you ever hurt him, I will not hesitate to hunt you down and kill you slowly, do you understand?”

“I love him too much to hurt him,” Thomas answers and he truly means it. He wants to make Robert happy.

He meets Robert's gaze just in time to see his eyes close as he leans forward and kisses Thomas softly. The Alpha melts into it immediately, the tension draining from his body as he pulls Robert's body above his own.

They only part when a nurse comes to check up on Thomas and by that time Marco, Mario and Erik have already left to give the reunited lovers some privacy.

 

***

 

After the two days that Thomas had to stay in the hospital are finally over, Robert and his Alpha can finally drive back to Munich. Both of them barely speak during the ride, their bodies tingling in anticipation of what is to come. The moment they have been craving for...

As soon as they have reached Thomas' house, Robert is all over his Alpha, kissing him with all he has got.

Thomas lets out a deep growl as they stumble through the frontdoor and the Alpha manages to shut the door with a kick of his foot before Robert licks into his mouth hungrily, swallowing the noises the younger man is making. The Alpha grabs his thighs, lifting him up without effort and Robert instantly hooks his ankles around his back, letting his mate carry him upstairs to the bedroom.

When Thomas has laid him down on the covers, he remains standing there, a gleam in his eyes as his eyes travel down Robert's body.

The Omega feels self-conscious all of a sudden. “Do you like what you see?”

Thomas meets his eyes with a wolfish grin. “I'm not sure because your body is hidden by so many layers of clothing.”

Robert smirks. “Well, then you should help me get rid of them, don't you think?”

He leans up and grabs Thomas by the hem of his shirt to pull him forward.

Thomas lets himself be manhandled until he's falling on top of Robert, and the Omega feels desire coursing through his veins at the feel of his mate's body.

“Please make me yours, Thomas. I've waited so long for you to finally lay your claim on me.”

Thomas smiles softly. “You've already been mine when you marked me. No one else – me included - may have been able to see it, but I know now that from this moment on your heart belonged to me.”

Robert doesn't get to tell him how right he is because Thomas leans down and his tongue licks slowly over the Omega's pulse point, drawing a loud moan from the older man. Then he opens his mouth and finally he bites down hard. Robert jerks as his mate's teeth breaks his skin and his body sings with pleasure and joy. He is hurting and healing at the same time, all of his senses giving out from the sensations while he is drowning in too many emotions.

“I love you, Thomas.” He isn't sure if he managed to say that out loud before he is swallowed by a blinding light...

 

 

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you're shouting 'Did she pull that idea with Mario out of her ass?!', please let me defend myself.  
> All of you have been a victim of Thomas jumping to conclusions. Marco and Robert were always saying this like 'I would like to have kids/ would YOU like to have kids?', there was never any talk about 'Do WE want to have kids?". Also there was never any talk about Marco having sex with Robert; Thomas merely asked Robert that during his rut and before Robert could respond, he followed it up with the question about knocking Robert up and I'm sure you remember you that topic always upsets Robert.  
> If you don't believe me, go read the entire story once again, I have been very careful to keep things like these vague without you noticing. That revelation with Mario was always meant to be the end. :)  
> Now you can go on throwing rocks at me for the drama I put you through. ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Any form of feedback is highly appreciated. :)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Black Moon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8185739) by [Blue_Night](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/pseuds/Blue_Night)
  * [The Pain That Never Fades](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8508160) by [Blue_Night](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/pseuds/Blue_Night)
  * [We Try To Wash The Pain Away](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8528779) by [mariothellama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/pseuds/mariothellama)
  * [Feel For Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8565214) by [Blue_Night](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/pseuds/Blue_Night)
  * [Love is the Strongest Force of All](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8565562) by [mariothellama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/pseuds/mariothellama)
  * [The Day after Friday the 13th](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9610250) by [mariothellama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/pseuds/mariothellama)




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